Facebook unaccountable as it operates in shadows: Whistleblower to US lawmakers

By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 6, 2021, 8:41 AM IST

Whistleblower Frances Haugen urged for openness during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on how Facebook entices users to stay on the site longer, allowing them enough chance to advertise to them.

US senators pounced on Facebook on Tuesday, accusing CEO Mark Zuckerberg of pushing for more profits while being careless about user safety, and they urged that authorities look into whistleblower claims that the social media firm hurts children and incites divides. Whistleblower Frances Haugen urged for openness during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on how Facebook entices users to stay on the site longer, allowing them enough chance to advertise to them.

"As long as Facebook operates in the shadows, shielding its research from public scrutiny, it is unaccountable," said Haugen, a former employee turned whistleblower at the almost $1 trillion business. "The company's leadership understands how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but they refuse to make the required adjustments because they prioritise stratospheric profits over people. Action by Congress is required," Haugen said. In an era when bipartisanship is unusual in Washington, lawmakers from both parties slammed the business, highlighting Congress's growing dissatisfaction with Facebook despite multiple requests for legislative reforms.

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Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, expressed worry about how Facebook and its subsidiaries, such as Instagram, harmed children's mental health. Haugen said that she was the one who gave materials used in a Wall Street Journal investigation and a Senate hearing on Instagram's damage to adolescent females. She linked social media platforms to addictive drugs such as cigarettes and opiates. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who chairs the panel, stated that Facebook was aware that its products were addicting. "Tech is now confronted with that huge tobacco jaw-dropping moment of truth," he added.

He called for Zuckerberg to testify before the committee and the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission to investigate the company. "Our children are the ones that suffer. When today's teenagers look in the mirror, they are filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. Mark Zuckerberg should be staring in the mirror right now," Blumenthal said. After the session, Blumenthal stated that he would want to question Zuckerberg about why he rejected recommendations to make the company's products safer for consumers.

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