Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Actor Jim Carrey dumped his Facebook stock at exactly the right time

Shares fell by more than 9 per cent following news that Cambridge Analytica accessed data from 50 million users without permission

Jonathan Garber
Thursday 22 March 2018 12:36 EDT
Comments
The 56-year-old has criticised the corporation's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in a painting which he drew and posted on Twitter
The 56-year-old has criticised the corporation's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in a painting which he drew and posted on Twitter (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

“I’m dumping my @facebook stock and deleting my page because @facebook profited from Russian interference in our elections and they’re still not doing enough to stop it,” Jim Carrey tweeted on 6 February. “I encourage all other investors who care about our future to do the same. #unfriendfacebook.”

Facebook shares closed at $185.31 (£131.27p) on 6 February, but have fallen more than 9 per cent this week to their lowest since September following the news that Cambridge Analytica accessed data from 50 million users without their permission. The stock closed at $168.15 Tuesday.

The sell-off in Facebook shares has been fast and furious. They have shed 9 per cent in just two days and wiped roughly $50bn (£35bn) in market cap. During the sell-off, Facebook has slipped one place in the rankings of the most valuable US companies, falling from fifth to sixth and is now behind Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Read more:

• May tackles new Brexit Rebellion
Philip Hammond and Mark Carney are in China to secure £1 billion of trade deals
• Facebook admits that social media can be bad for you

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2018. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in