Frances Haugen: Facebook Whistleblower

Frances Haugen - New York Times

Social media is one of the most influential things to come from this generation. Some advocate the positives of social media and others look at the destruction it causes. Social media has been compared to drugs, both highly addictive and having detrimental long-term effects. Facebook, an online social networking service, is one of the most used platforms in the world and one of the most controversial. On the 5th of October, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen testified before a subcommittee of the Senate about the company’s violations (1).

Haugen was formerly employed as a data scientist at Facebook who studied how misinformation is promoted by the platform’s algorithm. Facebook has been the center of many scandals over the years and many others have called out the social media giant, but Haugen was determined to shine light on the company’s offenses, and she backed up her argument with evidence which differentiated her from others. In May of 2021, she left Facebook with thousands of documents and a large collection of research. “During my time at Facebook, I came to realize a devastating truth: Almost no one outside of Facebook knows what happens inside Facebook,” Haugen said. “’The company intentionally hides vital information from the public, from the U.S. government, and from governments around the world’” (4).

Instagram, a social media platform owned by Facebook, targets teenagers and children. Many leaked studies have shown that a large percentage of teen girls felt bad about their bodies and developed eating disorders after using the platform. Senator Marsha Blackburn accused Facebook of intentionally directing their product towards children under the age of thirteen even though the app requires users to be above that age. “’It is clear that Facebook prioritizes profit over the well-being of children and all users,’ Sen. Blackburn said” (4). Facebook used their algorithm to exploit teens and make them develop their insecurities.

Overall, Haugen proved that Facebook promotes misinformation and hate speech and how Instagram is detrimental to teenagers’ health. Haugen’s lawyers have filed complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission concerning Facebook’s statements on its past controversies (4). According to Haugen’s lawyers, Facebook executives including CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg omitted key details about Facebook’s ability to cause harm (4). Haugen wants Congress to change Facebook’s harmful actions and use the platform for good.

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References:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/08/facebook-tobacco-industry-research-harm-causes
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/06/stop-comparing-facebook-instagram-cigarettes/
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/technology/who-is-frances-haugen.html
4. https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043377310/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-congress

This article was originally published at the Teach-Technology Organization, Inc. online technology blog. I volunteer as a tech blog writer at this organization, which is dedicated to bridging the gap between seniors and technology. You can read this article (and many more) at the Teach Technology site.