Current:Home > InvestWhistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy -MacroWatch
Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy
View
Date:2025-04-15 03:54:33
A former Facebook product manager told Congress on Tuesday that the company's products harm children and stoke division, while Facebook executives hide research about the social network's risks to keep its business humming.
Frances Haugen, speaking to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, said Facebook needs to be subject to the same kind of government regulation that covers Big Tobacco, automobiles and opioids as public safety concerns.
"I implore you to do the same here," Haugen told senators.
She said the company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but refuses to "because they have put their astronomical profits before people."
"Congressional action is needed. They won't solve this crisis without your help," she said.
She was met with bipartisan praise from senators who pledged to work together on privacy reforms. Democrats and Republicans also appeared united in considering that Facebook had acted without restraint for far too long.
"These documents that you have revealed provided this company with a blueprint for reform, specific recommendations that could have made Facebook and Instagram safe," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the subcommittee chair.
The internal research Haugen shared with the press, members of Congress and federal regulators has plunged Facebook into its biggest crisis in years. She leaked a trove of internal research and communications showing the company was aware of the ills of its platforms, including the toxic risks of Instagram to some teenage girls' mental health and the prevalence of drug cartels and human traffickers on its apps. That information formed the basis of a blockbuster investigative series by The Wall Street Journal and have fueled anger and investigations in Washington.
Facebook internal research provided by Haugen found that 13.5% of teen girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts and 17% of teen girls say that Instagram contributes to their eating disorders.
Amid the controversy over Instagram's research, Facebook announced it is pausing the development of a version of Instagram for users 13 years old and younger.
Haugen pleads for government oversight and investigations of Facebook
On Sunday, Haugen gave a damning interview to CBS' 60 Minutes, in which she accused Facebook of lying to the public and its own investors about the impacts of its platforms.
Her lawyer says she has filed at least eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging Facebook misled its shareholders with its public statements about problems including the prevalence of hate speech, how the social network was used leading up to and during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and how its algorithms amplify misinformation.
Haugen spent two years at Facebook working on a team combating political misinformation. She said she grew disillusioned with the company's failing to make its platforms safer if those changes risked its growth.
"As long as Facebook is operating in the shadows, hiding its research from public scrutiny, it is unaccountable. Until the incentives change, Facebook will not change. Left alone, Facebook will continue to make choices that go against the common good," Haugen testified on Tuesday.
Facebook disputes Haugen's accusations. It says the reporting on its internal research has mischaracterized its work.
On Monday, Neil Potts, Facebook's vice president of trust and safety policy, told NPR's All Things Considered that he "would categorically deny" Haugen's claim that Facebook profits from promoting polarizing and emotionally inflammatory content.
"I think that accusation is just a bit unfounded," Potts said. "At Facebook, what we are designing our products to do is to increase meaningful experiences, so whether those are meaningful social interactions ... or having just positive social experience on a platform, that is what we want the product ultimately to provide. That makes an environment where people will come to Facebook, where they will come to Instagram, and have a better time, and that's really our bottom line."
But Haugen's claims and the extensive set of documents she copied before leaving Facebook have caught the attention of the public — and of powerful critics in Washington.
Last week, the same Senate panel grilled a Facebook official about what the whistleblowing revealed. They accused the company of hiding what it knew about how its products can hurt people, particularly children.
On Tuesday, Blumenthal said Haugen's disclosures to Congress revealed that Facebook targeted teens and preteens through Instagram in order to drive up numbers for advertisers and boost profits for shareholders.
"Facebook exploited teens using powerful algorithms that amplify their insecurities," Blumenthal said. "Their profit was more important than the pain they caused."
Editor's note: Facebook is among NPR's financial supporters
veryGood! (9782)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- It's not just smoking — here's what causes lung cancer
- Bryson DeChambeau to host Donald Trump on podcast, says it's 'about golf' and 'not politics'
- Horoscopes Today, July 21, 2024
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- McDonald's $5 meal deal will be sticking around for longer this summer: Report
- A look at Kamala Harris' work on foreign policy as vice president
- Blake Lively Channels Husband Ryan Reynolds During Rare Red Carpet Date Night at Deadpool Premiere
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Sam Smith couldn't walk for a month after a skiing accident: 'I was an idiot'
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Woman gets probation for calling in hoax bomb threat at Boston Children’s Hospital
- Despite Musk’s Trump endorsement, X remains a go-to platform for Democrats
- Hiker dies at Utah state park after high temperatures, running out of water
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Dave Bayley of Glass Animals reflects on struggles that came after Heat Waves success, creative journey for new album
- Pregnant Hailey Bieber Reacts to Justin Bieber Divorce Rumors
- Yemen's Houthi-held port of Hodeida still ablaze 2 days after Israeli strike
Recommendation
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
To Help Stop Malaria’s Spread, CDC Researchers Create a Test to Find a Mosquito That Is Flourishing Thanks to Climate Change
Is Kamala Harris going to be president? 'The Simpsons' writer reacts to viral 'prediction'
Rapper Snoop Dogg to carry Olympic torch ahead of Paris opening ceremony
Trump's 'stop
Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, last surviving member of Motown group Four Tops, dies at 88
Tobey Maguire's Ex Jennifer Meyer Shares How Gwyneth Paltrow Helped With Her Breakup
Emma Hayes realistic about USWNT work needed to get back on top of world. What she said