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Metaverse will be addictive, rob more personal info, says Facebook whistleblower

The records she gave over to police, as well as her testimony to Congress, have garnered international interest for offering insight into what Facebook may have known about the harm its social media platforms may inflict. 

Metaverse will be addictive rob more personal info says Facebook whistleblower gcw
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Washington D.C., First Published Nov 10, 2021, 5:45 PM IST

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen warned on Tuesday that the 'metaverse' will be addictive, robbing people of even more personal information and giving the beleaguered company yet another online monopoly. In an interview with The Associated Press, Haugen stated that her former business has suddenly raced to trumpet the metaverse because of its great pressure after she disclosed deep-seated flaws at the corporation.

The records she gave over to police, as well as her testimony to Congress, have garnered international interest for offering insight into what Facebook may have known about the harm its social media platforms may inflict. She is now appearing before European politicians and regulators who are developing guidelines for social media corporations. 

Also Read | New whistleblower accuses Facebook of prioritising profits over fighting ‘hate speech’

In revelations that shed light on an internal crisis at the company that provides free services to 3 billion people, Haugen claimed that Facebook's systems amplify online hate and extremism. She added that it fails to protect young people from harmful content and that the company lacks any incentive to fix the problems. She warned the public not to anticipate increased openness. To back up her claims, she made a series of disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which her legal team subsequently gave Congress in redacted form. A group of news organizations, including the Associated Press, got the redacted copies sent to Congress.

Meta, Facebook's new identity, disputed that it attempted to shift attention away from its problems by promoting the metaverse. However, the company denied all the allegations and stated that it has been working on it internally. It emphasized that it is trying to safely construct the metaverse, which is a network of interconnected virtual communities that will combine online and offline life. In the metaverse, users will be able to attend virtual concerts or fences with holograms of Olympic competitors, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 

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

Launching that new brand, in fact, brings attention to the firm, according to a statement, adding that if it didn't want the scrutiny, it would have postponed or cancelled the launch entirely. Zuckerberg defined the metaverse in a presentation last month as allowing for mixed-reality business meetings in which some people are physically present while others beam in as avatars. Haugen has spoken to officials and politicians in London and Berlin and at a technology conference in Lisbon. On Wednesday, she will also address French legislators in Paris.

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