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Facebook Whistleblower Overview:
- Who: Frances Haugen has lodged allegations against her former employer, Facebook.
- Why: Haugen claims Facebook knows its site is used to spread violence and hate, but doesn’t do anything to fix it because it would cut back on its profits.
- Where: Haugen is set to testify in front of Congress today.
A former Facebook employee has revealed themselves as the anonymous whistleblower behind a recent document leak revealing the company’s inner workings.
Data scientist Frances Haugen told CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday that Facebook has deceived consumers and investors about its ability to rid the platform of misinformation and hate speech.
Haugen had previously kept her identity a secret while leaking tens of thousands of pages of documents to the media and law enforcement.
“Facebook over and over again has shown it chooses profit over safety,” Haugen told Scott Pelley during her 60 Minutes interview on Oct. 3.
Haugen is scheduled to go in front of Congress today to testify about her former employer before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security.
Facebook issued a statement in response to the 60 Minutes interview, disputing Haugen’s claims and touting the company’s work to curb harmful content on the social media platform.
“Every day our teams have to balance protecting the right of billions of people to express themselves openly with the need to keep our platform a safe and positive place,” Facebook spokesperson Lena Pietsch said in the statement. “We continue to make significant improvements to tackle the spread of misinformation and harmful content. To suggest we encourage bad content and do nothing is just not true.”
Former Facebook Data Scientist Alleges the Social Platform ‘Covers Up’ the Spread of Misinformation and Hate
Haugen, meanwhile, claims Facebook is aware its platform is used to spread misinformation and hate, but attempts to cover up the issue because it knows it is good for its profit margins.
The former Facebook product manager filed at least eight complaints against the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission around a month ago, accusing Facebook of hiding research looking into the company from the public and investors, reports CNN.
“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook, and Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money,” Haugen told 60 Minutes.
Facebook announced last month that it was pausing its work on Instagram Kids — a version of the social media image-sharing platform to be catered for children between 10 and 12 years old — following pushback from parents, lawmakers, and child advocates.
Do you believe Facebook intentionally allows hate speech and misinformation on its platform? Let us know in the comments!
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53 thoughts onWhistleblower To Testify Over Claims Facebook Allowed Hate Speech, Misinformation, On Platform
Please add me to the list. I was told by someone that’s been married 5 times now that unless I changed my homosexual ways that I was going to burn in hell because I was gay. I turned it into Facebook citing hate speech used towards me only to be told that it was within community standards after their investigation. I mean he came on my page attacking me for being gay and I’m told he weren’t being a bully and spreading hate and bullying and forcing his religious beliefs on me for being gay.
Add me
Me and my mother have alot ofnpersonal information we exchanged over Facebook because of the simple fact she has disabilities and arnt capable of doing and filing legal documents and photos that are private. Her facebook was hacked by someone saying they were locked out of their account and if it was okay to send her a code to her phone or email. Needless to say with her not knowing the little scam people use to get access to one’s facebook/ login information. Her Facebook was hacked completely her email was removed from her account so she didn’t have any way back into her account. As well as mine. The same incident,just emailed saying that my Facebook had been compromised and that I needed to change my password. Once I changed my password. I kept entering my login information knowing it was the right credentials repeatedly. And come to realize it’ was pointless I had been hacked . And come to find out pictures that were synced from my phone thats in private mode from others were also uploaded that were inappropriate and very embarrassing.
PLEASE ADD ME AS WELL!
Yes please add me i have had so much racist and radical content run down my timeline it is ridiculous please add me
Add me please
Add me please.
ADD ME PLEASE!!! I’ve been put in Facebook jail three times now for posts going back ALMOST 5 YEARS BUT WERE JUST PULLED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS!!! Two of those posts were pulled for “violating community standards and misinformation”, in the same week no less, and were 4 years old at the time I posted them on my newsfeed. Since then, both posts have been restored WITH an apology from Facebook, I have screenshots to prove it, and this last one a few months ago, almost 5 years old, stated it “violated community standards” BUT was just the result of one of those quiz apps ON FACEBOOK AND DID NOT VIOLATE COMMUNITY STANDARDS WHEN IT WAS POSTED ON MY NEWS FEED! THAT SHOULD BE ALL THE MATTERS.
ASK YOURSELF, WHY ARE THE SO-CALLED FACEBOOK FACT CHECKERS COMBING BACK THAT FAR ON ANYONE’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT TO BEGIN WITH???
I lost my Facebook page in 2020. I was no longer able to access it but, someone has been spreading nasty rumors about me thru my Facebook page. I am not able to access it to defend myself but they continue to allow my Facebook page to have hateful messages posted about me to my friends and family. I do not even live in the same state as they do so it’s extremely frustrating. Also, I have more than 4000 pic of me and my children on my page that I don’t have any backup of. I have sent my ID several times to verify my identity but they still will not give me access to even get my pictures. My home was vandalized and all my hard copies destroyed. So the ONLY picture of my children are on Facebook. That I cannot access. But, they continue to allow someone to spread hate and slander my name. Yet I can not even access it. angelkisses0977@hotmail.com FB
How is it this can become a headline, yet people who have had their information stolen by hackers on face book,MY SON. NO ONE WANTS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!