Communications of the ACM
Facebook Whistle-Blower Urges Lawmakers to Regulate the Company
Frances Haugen, who exposed Facebooks research on the negative effects of its platforms, told senators that its top executives wont make the necessary changes.
Credit: T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times
A former Facebook product manager who turned into a whistle-blower gave lawmakers an unvarnished look into the inner workings of the world's largest social network on Tuesday and detailed how the company was deliberate in its efforts to keep people — including children — hooked to its service.
In more than three hours of testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Frances Haugen, who worked on Facebook's civic misinformation team for nearly two years until May, spoke candidly and with a level of insight that the company's executives have rarely provided. She said Facebook had purposely hidden disturbing research about how teenagers felt worse about themselves after using its products and how it was willing to use hateful content on its site to keep users coming back.
Ms. Haugen also gave lawmakers information on what other data they should ask Facebook for, which could then lead to proposals to regulate the Silicon Valley giant as it increasingly faces questions about its global reach and power.
"I'm here today because I believe Facebook's products harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy," Ms. Haugen, 37, said during her testimony. "The company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but won't make the necessary changes."
From The New York Times
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