Zuckerberg may have name stripped from California hospital
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A San Francisco public hospital is considering removing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s name from its title, due to the string of recent privacy incidents at the social media company, according to a new report.
The Zuckerbergs donated $75 million to the hospital in 2015, which led the organization to rename itself in the couple’s honor – The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The couple’s donation is among the largest single contribution by private citizens to a public hospital.
However, after new concerns have emerged over transparency and privacy protections at the company, Aaron Peskin – a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors – is pushing to have the tech mogul’s name removed, as reported by The San Francisco Chronicle. The facility is often referred to as Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
Spokespeople for Facebook and Peskin did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment.
In a statement to FOX Business, the CEO of the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said the facility is "honored that Dr. Chan and Mr. Zuckerberg thought highly enough of our hospital and staff, and the health of San Franciscans, to donate their resources to our mission."
Peskin spoke with the city attorney about his proposal, citing the Cambridge Analytica scandal and a report from The New York Times that the social media giant hired a consulting firm to plant negative stories about the company’s detractors and competitors, according to the Chronicle.
“It is not normal for Mark Zuckerberg and (Facebook chief operating officer) Sheryl Sandberg to refuse to accept responsibility and to publicly distance themselves from acts that they have personally instigated. ... This is about the integrity of institutions and spaces that are overwhelmingly funded by public money and taxpayer dollars,” Peskin argued, according to the report.
Chan worked at the hospital as a doctor.
Hospital employees began to protest the association with the Facebook chief in May, according to The New York Times, claiming the name makes patients wary.