In a 60 Minutes interview, WSJ's Facebook Files whistleblower says Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, misinformation, and more

Frances Haugen says in her time with Facebook she saw, “conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook.”

CBS News 2021-10-04 Scott Pelley

Discussion

@60minutes @60minutes on x
“Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on less ads, they'll make less money,” says Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. https://www.cbsnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@franceshaugen_ Frances Haugen on x
I believe that we can do better.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Because it's going to get a lot worse. PR tip: 60 Minutes has a significantly larger audience (10mm+) than anything so far and will tease hearing. In addition, there are larger problems all coming at the same time. I'll list them in no particular order: https://twitter.com/...
@attorneynora Nora Benavidez on x
No one is surprised Facebook knew it was amplifying disinformation and incitement. But I am very excited to have this much internal evidence upon which we may consider proper regulatory steps to correct course. I'll be live tweeting my thoughts here about @60Minutes 1/
@mariaressa Maria Ressa on x
(2/3) Now I could go to jail for the rest of my life, and my nation goes to presidential elections in May 2022 with no guarantee of integrity of the vote because of the insidious mass manipulations the platform allows. These revelations only verify what we have long known.
@mariaressa Maria Ressa on x
(1/3) We called out Facebook's excesses in 2016, comparing Mark Zuckerberg to Rodrigo Duterte and demanding an end to impunity. We presented the data from the Philippines, which whistleblower Christopher Wylie called ‘the Petri dish’ and which Facebook called ‘ground zero’.
@jomc Joanne Mcneil on x
The Boy Kings should be selling thousands of copies everytime there's another Facebook whistleblower or major story in the news. A smart publisher would be looking to reissue a 10th anniversary edition.
@attorneynora Nora Benavidez on x
Media reporters: now's a great time to interview the Black women who've been sounding the alarm on platform harm for years.
@jeffhorwitz Jeff Horwitz on x
The 60 Minutes “overtime” is really good — Frances just walks through her thinking on a few different subjects. Highly recommend a watch, especially the impact in poorer countries. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
Some details about Frances Haugen: -She doesn't believe breaking up FB is the way to fix the co, which is why she hasn't shared docs w/ FTC -Several state AG's have subsets of the documents -She has had discussions with various Euro lawmakers https://www.nytimes.com/... https://t…
@kimzetter Kim Zetter on x
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, a data scientist who secretly copied thousands of internal documents and leaked them to the WSJ, says Facebook is lying to the public about making significant progress against hate, violence and misinformation. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@martijnrasser Martijn Rasser on x
This 60 Minutes story on Facebook is amazing. Whistleblower provided 10s of thousands of pages of internal research on misinformation; asserts company placing growth and profits over safety. Trove of internal emails as well. https://twitter.com/...
@katies Katie Jacobs Stanton on x
I worked with @franceshaugen_ briefly at Google over 14 years ago. I remember her as very smart, honest and hard working. And wow, is she brave.
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Instagram teen harms “What's super tragic is FB's own research says, as these young women begin to consume eating disorder content, they get more & more depressed, and it actually makes them use the app more. They end up in this feedback cycle where they hate their bodies more” h…
@ndhapple City Nolan on x
Big ‘Big Tobacco’ vibes => https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
Interesting section from this profile of the FB whistleblower. I wonder if this will change how tech companies (i.e. Facebook) handle an employee's “two weeks notice” moving forward. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@newley Newley Purnell on x
...make the safety systems for that language as it did to make English or French. Each new language costs more money but there's fewer and fewer customers. So the economics just doesn't make sense for Facebook to be safe in a lot of these parts in the world."
@brooklynmarie Brooke Binkowski on x
Told you. I only wanted to stop shit before we got here. https://twitter.com/...
@seanconner2023 Modus Tollens on x
Just watched the 60 Minutes Facebook piece, and when will we all admit that “self-regulation” does not exist: not in healthcare - Johnson & Johnson not in Energy - Enron not in banking and finance - Lehman Brothers not in tech - Google not in anything
@jason @jason on x
the @60minutes piece was devastating for $FB expect investigations, resignations, & stock annihilation over the coming weeks/months Complete confirmation of everything we expected: their greed & lust for growth built a Frankenstein they can't control.
@amir Amir Efrati on x
As Haugen eloquently made her case tonight, I kept thinking: we have countless politicians—just in this country—who win elections by being polarizing. Divide and conquer is their strategy. She wants Congress to stop Facebook from allowing that. What's in it for Congress?
@gregbensinger @gregbensinger on x
The former Facebook employee who provided the WSJ with many great and serious stories and Facebook PR with a lot of 'splaining to do. Facebook said they won't retaliate against her — for going to Congress — but they are certainly displeased https://www.wsj.com/...
@williams_paige Paige Williams on x
Stunning segment on Facebook and a “betrayal of democracy.” Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@newley Newley Purnell on x
“We had a joke inside of Civic Integrity, that if you wanted to know what the next batch of At-Risk Countries was going to be, all you had to do was look two years in the past at what the Facebook Connectivity countries were, and that's what they were going to be.”
@usrepkcastor US Rep Kathy Castor on x
Be sure to watch @60Minutes tonight re #Facebook turning a blind eye to the health and safety of our kids, & plan to get them hooked early on #Instagram. https://twitter.com/...
@newley Newley Purnell on x
“The version of Facebook that exits today is tearing our societies apart and causing ethnic violence around the world.” @FrancesHaugen_ on “60 Min.” https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
@franceshaugen_: “When we live in an information environment that is full of angry, hateful, polarizing content it erodes our civic trust, it erodes our faith in each other, it erodes our ability to want to care for each other...” https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@60minutes @60minutes on x
“The version of Facebook that exists today is tearing our societies apart and causing ethnic violence around the world,” says former Facebook employee France Haugen. She points to Myanmar, where the military used Facebook to launch a genocide. https://www.cbsnews.com/... https://…
@esosa_osa Esosa Osa on x
For those that say breaking up Facebook would have unintended consequences... just curious how many of those consequences are categorically worse than *checks notes* ethnic violence. https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon @blackamazon on x
It's real interesting that the white Whistle blower is getting all the press but not the Asian one https://twitter.com/...
@newley Newley Purnell on x
“Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on less ads, they'll make less money.” — @FrancesHaugen_ https://twitter.com/...
@b52malmet Barbara Malmet on x
Facebook is the devil. Zuckerberg's karma - he may be a zillionaire but his soul dwells down below for eternity. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@danieljkelley Daniel Kelley on x
Oh my: one study shared by whistleblower said FB may “action as little as 3-5% of hate and about 6-tenths of 1% of V & I [violence and incitement] on Facebook despite being the best in the world at it.” #60minutes https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
@FrancesHaugen_ As a FB reporter, you hear a lot of rumors of how Facebook tracks what its execs call “leakers” and there is an internal culture to shame those people. There is a whole internal team set up at the company to stop info from getting out as well. Did they just massiv…
@nicoleperlroth Nicole Perlroth on x
Bravery, personified. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
I feel like the 60 Minutes Facebook piece is going to open up the company's problems to a whole new audience and age demographic. The first ad up after the segment was for Cologuard, an at-home colon screening test.
@evacide Eva on x
If the company you work for is engaged in illegal, immoral, or unethical practices, it's not too late to become a whistleblower like France Haugen. https://twitter.com/...
@mistercommodity Mommar on x
What's ironic about this entire story is that this is how they are trying to justify online censorship. Hell the whistleblower basically admitted it. Social media is a mirror of the user. Feeds are filled with content the user engaged with. It's not a bug it's a feature. https://…
@aaronhuertas Aaron Huertas on x
Wow. Says a lot about how rare whistleblowing is. https://twitter.com/...
@profcarroll David Carroll on x
Frances Haugen said she believes the social media giant should declare “moral bankruptcy” and level with the public on its past failures. #FacebookFiles #FacebookWhistleblower https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@jimrichards1010 @jimrichards1010 on x
Riding the hate all the way to the bank Facebook https://twitter.com/...
@ultraviolet @ultraviolet on x
Weeks after the election, Facebook dissolved @FrancesHaugen_'s department on Civic Integrity. Facebook claimed that they needed to integrate Civic Integrity into all the teams. Haugen wasn't alone in feeling that the dissolvement was unjustified. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@benfranklin2018 @benfranklin2018 on x
It's not about the money, it's about the political power. “Profit” is used to explain lots of intentional, calculated behavior by business and media that has facilitated the rise of authoritarianism. Like the idea that the media is driven by ratings. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
Tech whistleblower joins Twitter. Immediately gets yelled at. What a website. https://twitter.com/...
@naijaflyingdr Dr Ola Brown on x
Wow. Wahala be like bicycle in Mark and Sheryl's world.😳 https://twitter.com/...
@chetfaliszek Chet Faliszek on x
If you still work at Facebook... Like if you still work at Facebook... I mean... like... I know FB people get mad when I say this but... you aren't in a movie. You are choosing how you are affecting the world. If you work at FB this is what you are doing with your life. https://t…
@dseetharaman Deepa Seetharaman on x
This was a thought-provoking point by @FrancesHaugen_ & one we don't talk about enough. FB is avail in 100+ languages & says it does moderation for 50+. How much would it cost for Facebook to build classifiers that can adequately detect violating content in every language? https:…
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
Facebook just sent out an email blast with its rebuttals to the 60 min piece too long for a tweet so here's an email https://twitter.com/...
@tripgabriel Trip Gabriel on x
The most damning thing Haugen said tonight, which might break through to the non-techy majority, is that FB changed its algorithm to serve up to its billions of users more angry, hateful content — bc that pushed engagement, and profits, up. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@juliaangwin Julia Angwin on x
I'm so thankful to John Tye & @wbaidlaw who make it safer for whistleblowers to come forward. The sad truth is that journalists and newsrooms can't always provide the protection that whistleblowers need - and it's amazing to have an organization step in on their behalf. https://t…
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Where are Mark and Sheryl? Zuckerberg hasn't posted in days Sandberg's post from 9/29 has scalding comments 👀 @Mosseri has been MIA since his week on Today Show and the Met Gala red carpet latest on internal turmoil by @MikeIsaac @sheeraf @RMac18 https://www.nytimes.com/...
@60minutes @60minutes on x
“Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety,” says Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. She believes the federal government should impose regulations and plans to testify before Congress this week. https://www.cbsnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jeffhorwitz Jeff Horwitz on x
Meet @franceshaugen_, who I've been calling “Sean” for the past ten months. She's smart, gutsy and very knowledgeable about Facebook. She's also the key source for the WSJ's Facebook Files project. Frances will be speaking for herself from here on out.
@guyro Guy Rosen on x
@donie ... We did not disband Civic Integrity. We integrated it into a larger Central Integrity team so that the incredible work pioneered for elections could be applied even further, for example across health related issues. Their work continues to this day.
@evan_greer Evan Greer on x
Love to see it. Facebook whistleblower @FrancesHaugen_ tells @WSJ the way to reduce harm is a radical change to the company's business model: ending algorithmic amplification that's maximized for engagement—not eliminating S 230. This is in line with many experts & rights orgs ht…
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
“Virtually any of Facebook's more than 60,000 employees could have accessed the same documents,” the Facebook whistleblower says of the documents she leaked. https://www.wsj.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Also I wonder if Facebook realized what hell it was about to unleash last December when it dissolved @samidh's civic integrity team. Upsetting hundreds of articulate, civic-minded professionals who were armed with some of the most damning data Facebook had ever produced
@hunterwalk @hunterwalk on x
1. I do believe the social platforms underperform their responsibilities in several key areas & am glad Frances Haugen is raising these issues 2. The WSJ whistleblower story has 43 advertising & analytics trackers https://twitter.com/...
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
Notably absent in Facebook's 750 word response to @haugenfrances appearance on 60 Minutes: Why the company shut down its “civic integrity” team after the election (but before the insurrection). Here is what Haugen told @60Minutes about that: https://twitter.com/...
@sheeraf Sheera Frenkel on x
Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen writes on her website: “During her time at Facebook, Frances became increasingly alarmed by the choices the company makes prioritizing their own profits over public safety — putting people's lives at risk.” https://www.franceshaugen.com/
@brianboland @brianboland on x
I left Facebook over concerns that the company was ignoring and underinvesting in researching the impact of their products. I became convinced that these products accelerate polarization of all kinds incliding race. Thanks @FrancesHaugen_ for bringing Facebook's problems to light…
@loupas Lou Paskalis on x
Frances Haugen is an American hero. We all owe her a debt of thanks and a shout out to @ScottPelley and the entire @60Minutes production and editorial team for composing this piece so artfully and compellingly. Haugen's information is simply damning and its breadth extraordinary!…
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
Like so many, I was deeply moved by Frances, who proved courageous, credible, & compelling on 60 Minutes. From her first visit with my office, I've admired her backbone & bravery in revealing terrible truths about one of the world's most powerful, implacable corporate giants. htt…
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
I have no idea (obviously) of the truth of this. But a challenge when any mid-level employee tells you their view of what happened is that you don't know what meetings they weren't in, what documents they didn't leak, and what org they didn't know about https://twitter.com/...
@juddlegum Judd Legum on x
One of the interesting things about the latest Facebook scandal is Zuckerberg's decision not to address it — reportedly as a strategy to distance himself from the scandal. Does he think people will forget he is the CEO and maintains complete control over the company?
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
More details in @nytimes about the SEC complaints she's filed. Serious allegations of deceptive practices...though they seem somewhat unusual for SEC filings? But maybe others know better.. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@franceshaugen_ Frances Haugen on x
Together we can create social media that brings out the best in us. We solve problems together - we don't solve them alone.
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
The Facebook whistleblower is Frances Haugen. From her website: “Frances became increasingly alarmed by the choices the company makes prioritizing their own profits over public safety — putting people's lives at risk.” https://www.franceshaugen.com/ https://twitter.com/...
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
Congrats & bravo to the Facebook whistleblower @FrancesHaugen_. 8 complaints to SEC. Documents handed to 5 state attorney generals Evidence to Congress on Tuesday Scheduled to appear before UK parliamentary committee this month https://twitter.com/...
@meidastouch @meidastouch on x
Raise your hand if you think Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook need to be held accountable for the destruction they've inflicted on our country ✋ https://twitter.com/...
@migueldeicaza @migueldeicaza on x
Facebook compensation is calibrated to prevent this scenario. Nobody is immune. https://twitter.com/...
@jgo4justice Jessica González on x
We've always known that Facebook is a hate and lie profiteer. Thanks to Frances Haugen, we're now certain that execs knew this and decided to put profits over public safety, and then lied to all of us about the depth and breadth of its harms. That's harmful impact and intent.
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
As someone who's relied on internal info to report on Facebook, I always assumed FB was very good at sussing out who talked to press. As such, I've taken every safety precaution when talking to folks. The sheer breadth of what @franceshaugen_ is stunning and makes one wonder.
@joaquincastrotx Joaquin Castro on x
This was a very damning report by the @Facebook whistleblower. https://twitter.com/...
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
This person joined Facebook after IT DID A GENOCIDE. At some point it's useful to stop trusting Silicon Valley insiders who discover to their shock that Facebook is bad while on Facebook's payroll. Trust people who noticed that years ago because they aren't credulous.
@aoc Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on x
["Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on less ads, they'll make less money," says Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.] 100%
@issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x
@FrancesHaugen_ Interestingly, Frances is not the first to try this approach, bringing an SEC complaint against Facebook for failing to disclose risk. I wrote about another one regarding animal part trafficking on Facebook in 2018. Similar legal theory. https://www.wired.com/...
@aboutmattlaw Matt Law on x
Due to the nature of the role, product managers are often in a position to sniff out and then dig into the bullshit. https://twitter.com/...
@arstrasser Annie-Rose Strasser on x
The whistleblower behind the Facebook Files has come forward. Hear her story, in her own words, on The Journal podcast: https://open.spotify.com/...
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
Facebook's actions make clear that we cannot trust it to police itself. We must consider stronger oversight, effective protections for children, & tools for parents, among the needed reforms.
@ericgarland Eric Garland on x
Don't forget how many tech companies and how much of Washington enabled Facebook. This monstrosity could not have happened without a revolting team effort.
@amy_siskind @amy_siskind on x
Wow! The ⁦@60Minutes⁩ segment on Facebook was something. Thank you to whistleblower Frances Haugen for speaking out! https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@rcalo Ryan Calo on x
Meet @FrancesHaugen_ If not the @Snowden of social media, certainly the force behind Facebook's recent reckoning https://www.franceshaugen.com/
@benmullin Ben Mullin on x
The @WSJ deep-dive on @Facebook whistleblower @franceshaugen_ by @JeffHorwitz: “Ms. Haugen kept expecting to be caught, she said, as she reviewed thousands of documents over several weeks.” https://twitter.com/...
@jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x
This isn't Ellsberg's whistleblowing. I'm struck by how much the practice has changed. The FB whistleblower launches website with email list, PR contact and links to her Twitter and Instagram accounts. https://www.franceshaugen.com/
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
“I don't hate Facebook,” Frances Haugen wrote. “I love Facebook. I want to save it.” And this is why her whistleblowing will lead to nothing. She's a libertarian who wants Zuckerberg to be nicer. https://www.wsj.com/...
@bostonjoan @bostonjoan on x
Facebook whistleblower was on the civic integrity team that was recently dissolved. What's weird is that it sure does appear that Facebook employs some folks with a lot of integrity, but the company just doesn't seem to hear them when they speak up.
@rexchapman Rex Chapman on x
Facebook blows https://twitter.com/...
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
There it is. @franceshaugen_ has filed 8 whistleblower claims with the SEC. Big trouble for Facebook. Add this to the lies which new lawsuit which claims Facebook told investors about the Cambridge Analytica breach. https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
FB whistleblower filed 8 complaints w/ SEC, claiming FB lied to investors.
@jgarzik Ser Jeff Garzik on x
Agree + I'm struck with the massive PR push. All of a sudden, a bunch of people are sharing glowing profiles of this whistleblower. Whistleblowers are not born with publicists and PR strategies... what gives? https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Lawyer tells 60 Minutes she's protected because Dodd-Frank allows employees to communicate w/ SEC. Yes, but that's pretty different with sharing confidential company info w/ the Wall St. Journal.
@can @can on x
the good thing with FAANG compensation being so absurd is that you can make fuck-you money pretty early and then just become a whistleblower
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
Read @wsj piece by @JeffHorwitz who broke the story. What's staggering is that she found these docs on Facebook's ‘Workplace’ forum accessible to any of its 63k employees. She methodically & systematically copied them & approached a whistleblowing lawyer https://www.wsj.com/...
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
I look forward to Frances' testimony on Tuesday before my subcommittee & to future hearings documenting why Facebook & other tech companies must be held accountable—& how we plan to do that.
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
A product manager at Facebook who describes herself as ‘an advocate for public oversight of social media’. Preach. She may just be able to help that finally happen. https://www.franceshaugen.com/
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
Honored to have this whistleblower come before my Consumer Protection Subcommittee this Tuesday. Her bravery & honesty have revealed Facebook/Instagram's destructive impacts on children.
@ericgarland Eric Garland on x
They don't simply encourage bad content. Facebook sells software access to military juntas so they can literally incite genocide. https://twitter.com/...
@wbaidlaw Whistleblower Aid on x
We're excited to see the Whistleblower Aid client who lawfully disclosed thousands of pages of documents to the SEC and Congress speak out publicly for the first time tonight on @60Minutes. Proud to be part of this important case. https://twitter.com/...
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
NEW: The Facebook whistleblower who's been leaking to @WSJ emerged last night. She's filed 8 complaints with SEC. Has given evidence to 5 state attorney generals. Is set to testify to UK parliament. And says ‘Facebook should declare moral bankruptcy’ https://twitter.com/...
@wsj @wsj on x
As a Facebook employee, Frances Haugen tried to find solutions for how its platforms could cause harm. But she didn't have the resources or power to act—so she turned whistleblower https://www.wsj.com/...
@sheeraf Sheera Frenkel on x
@guyro ... The same way security was dispersed across Facebook after the Russian election interference came to light (with no new CISO ever hired) and the Crowdtangle team was dispersed after 2020 elections (with a lot of support cut off)?
@bradmossesq Bradley P. Moss on x
I am immensely proud of the work @wbaidlaw @AndrewBakaj and others on the team have done and continue to do to ensure these concerns were lawfully raised through proper channels. Whistle-Blower Says Facebook ‘Chooses Profits Over Safety’ https://www.nytimes.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Lots of interesting stuff here about the Facebook whistleblower; her LinkedIn says she was also the technical co-founder of Hinge https://twitter.com/...
@oliverdarcy Oliver Darcy on x
“If people just hate Facebook more because of what I've done, then I've failed...” https://www.wsj.com/...
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
One other note. Haugen doesn't believe in repealing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Guess why it's impossible to bring a product liability suit against Facebook for knowingly putting out a product that harms teenage girls. Yup. Section 230.
@lindseyboylan Lindsey Boylan on x
Thank you Frances Haugen. In an interview with “60 Minutes,” Ms. Haugen said.. “Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety.” This whistleblower, this woman, is a hero for coming forward. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
“I don't hate Facebook,” she wrote [on her last day]. “I love Facebook. I want to save it.” https://twitter.com/...
@lpolgreen Lydia Polgreen on x
There are two big media stories playing out right now: the Facebook whistleblower and the Ozy saga. The latter is way less important than the former, but both speak to a broken information ecosystem cut adrift by advertisers who have abandoned news. https://www.theguardian.com/ .…
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
@FrancesHaugen_ Whatever the case, what a get for @JeffHorwitz, a truly dogged reporter. I know how hard he worked. His messages to employees were flagged internally to comms groups at FB, and my sources often shared them with me. It paid off. https://www.wsj.com/...
@susanthesquark Susan Rigetti on x
Incredibly brave. Thank you, Frances. https://twitter.com/...
@anthony Anthony DeRosa on x
Meet the Facebook whistleblower: 37-year-old Frances Haugen, who was hired to help stop election misinformation and grew frustrated by the company's approach to fixing its flaws. https://www.wsj.com/...
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
“If people just hate Facebook more because of what I've done, then I've failed,” said whistleblower @FrancesHaugen_. “I believe in truth and reconciliation—we need to admit reality. The first step of that is documentation.” https://www.wsj.com/...
@bradmossesq Bradley P. Moss on x
Reminder: @wbaidlaw exists for this very purpose. To ensure LAWFUL whistleblower disclosures and protect those individuals. Not the creation of self-righteous martyrs. https://twitter.com/...
@seancasten Sean Casten on x
Thank you for your courage. https://twitter.com/...
@juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen lost a friend when he was sucked into white nationalism online https://www.wsj.com/...
@garettsloane Garett Sloane on x
What makes Frances Haugen a compelling Facebook whistleblower is her story is believable. She said she wanted to work for Facebook because she had seen the dangers of disinformation that turns friends and relatives into people we don't recognize. A lot of people have seen that.
@josh_emerson Josh Russell on x
Will throw this out there one more time, Facebook hid everything the Russian trolls did in 2016. And that should have set off alarm bells then, but for some reason it didn't. https://twitter.com/...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
🚨The whistleblower is revealed ahead of the @60Minutes special https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Fascinating profile of @FrancesHaugen_ by @JeffHorwitz. Notable that unlike many previous Facebook apostates, she says she loves the company and wants to “save it” https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@ericgarland Eric Garland on x
Also, Facebook is the world's largest distributor of child sex abuse media. Shut the company down.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
brutal ... “over and over again” is one way to say it. https://twitter.com/...
@juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x
An honest (if utterly soul-crushing) analysis of facebook's moral universe from @kevinroose: human rights abuses facilitated by Facebook might kill *people*, but they won't kill Facebook. Only American teens (and the advertisers who love them) can do that. https://www.nytimes.com…
@juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x
This is not to say that the Instagram mental health issues aren't important. They are. But it is frustrating to see Facebook's cynical dismissal of the value of the 90% fo its users who don't live in the US be fully justified by the behavior of US politicians and press.
@juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x
But the past few weeks have demonstrated the core dynamics of the FB debate in the US. Serious and urgent harms against human rights and democracy in the Global South included in the WSJ's investigation have been wholly overshadowed by the Instagram eating disorder issue.
@juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x
I would say that I don't think it's safe to assume that Facebook could fix its human rights abuse problems in the Global South with more resources and focus. Having the vast majority of its resources focused on the US and West hasn't exactly fixed its core issues here.
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
Completely agree w this @kevinroose take that we overestimate fb's enduring danger when the greatest & actually quite likely to eventuate threat is that ... people abandon it But: maybe not true overseas, and fb is more than just the blue app https://www.nytimes.com/... https://t…
@hikewithrichard @hikewithrichard on x
https://www.nytimes.com/... Facebook destroyed community, in the mid 2010s with Zynga monopolising timelines, and undercutting conversations between users. It has been on borrowed time since then.
@crtejada Carlos Tejada on x
Facebook is “going to increasingly extreme lengths to improve its toxic image, and to stop users from abandoning its apps in favor of more compelling alternatives.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@luissantos Luis António Santos on x
“It can simultaneously be true that Facebook is in decline and that it is still one of the most influential companies in history, with the ability to shape politics and culture all over the globe.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x
“If these leaked documents proved anything, it is how un-Godzilla-like Facebook feels. Internally, the company worries that it is losing power and influence, not gaining it, and its own research shows that many of its products aren't thriving organically.” https://www.nytimes.com…
Vox Shirin Ghaffary on x
Why this Facebook scandal is different
@meetthepress @meetthepress on x
Facebook has “blamed” their own researchers for negative press Jeff Horwitz, technology reporter, The Wall Street Journal, talks about the mood inside of Facebook after reporting that shows the company was aware of negative effects from their products. https://www.nbcnews.com/...…
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Watching Nick Clegg talk to @brianstelter this morning makes it profoundly obvious Facebook still has not realized the only product it actually makes is content moderation. Everything else is a mechanism to convince *other people* to make content.
@bernstein Joe Bernstein on x
The end point of this stuff, as @evelyndouek and I have pointed out, is Jan 6 defendants arguing in court that Facebook is to blame for their actions https://www.nytimes.com/...
@mollyjongfast Molly Jong-Fast on x
Will you release all the Facebook research? Asks @brianstelter And the answer is .... No
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
for the little it's worth, i think fb has a lot of work to do and needs to take more responsibility for its role, like all social media. but in the misinfo conversation more generally Online, we under-index on individual responsibility. or the role of many other institutions.
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
What do you do if you're Mark Zuckerberg and a Facebook whistleblower is about to go public detailing your company's role in spreading election lies ahead of Jan 6? You post video of your family sailing. https://twitter.com/...
@tripgabriel Trip Gabriel on x
“Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg have...remained behind the scenes to distance themselves from the negative press.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@liahaberman Lia Haberman on x
“They are making a mockery of the research” — Yeah, about those annotations Facebook provided... https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
It's odd reading this internal note from Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and seeing how it mimics past leaked talking points from the company. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@phoebedoris Phoebe Connelly on x
This op-ed by @Klonick raises something I've been thinking about around news as well. Is user engagement (in its many flavors) always the right metric for us to chase when thinking about healthy audiences? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tripgabriel Trip Gabriel on x
“The whistle-blower was set to say that Facebook had turned off some of its safety measures too soon after Election Day, the memo said. That allowed for misinformation to flood the platform and for groups to congregate online and plan the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol building.”
@jordanliles Jordan Liles on x
(THREAD) Ahead of the #60Minutes interview with the Facebook whistleblower, know this: We contacted Facebook multiple times ahead of Jan. 6 to warn about violent rhetoric in a group with members that planned on taking matters into their own hands. https://www.snopes.com/...
@lauraedelson2 Laura Edelson on x
This is a really important point! How are supposed to validate claims like this? Facebook surely can't expect anyone to just take their word for it at this point. https://twitter.com/...
@mollyjongfast Molly Jong-Fast on x
I always think about how priscilla is a doctor and Facebook is a platform that is notorious for spreading anti vaccine disinformation https://twitter.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Until Facebook reckons with the fact that everyone judges them on content moderation because it's the only product it actually makes, they will forever be trapped trying to deflect attention from its own product to other people's work
@dellcam Dell Cameron on x
Two months ago: Facebook suspends researchers hours after learning they planned to start looking into Jan 6: https://gizmodo.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Imagine criticizing Apple for the iPhone taking blurry photos and Apple replying that, on balance, people still use the iPhone to take photos of their families. That's Facebook right now.
@yaeleisenstat Yael Eisenstat on x
A plea before the whistleblower speaks tonight: don't fall for Facebook's playbook of changing the conversation to be about her instead of about the documents she exposed. Any journalist/commentator who allows this to happen is doing a disservice. Speaking out is hard. Full stop.…
@samidh @samidh on x
Since annotating leaks seems to be in vogue these days, here are my notes on this memo. 🧵... https://www.nytimes.com/...
@antoniogm Antonio García Martínez on x
FB reporters now in full Rambo mode. It even matches the jacket. https://twitter.com/...
@ac4congress2020 Adam Christensen on x
Wait...you mean that 3 minutes from a 3 hour long hearing was used to misunderstand the very basic points that were being made about facebooks business model and then went viral when people posted it for likes and retweets? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! https://twitter.com/...
@farah_pandith Farah Pandith on x
Hatebook needs to hire better spinners. How much do they pay their strategists? This is honestly just pathetic: he said that societal problems and political polarization have long predated the company and the advent of social networks in general. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
Clegg on Friday: “Facebook is the chief cause of polarization isn't supported by the facts.” March 2021: Facebook had an internal playbook to respond to allegations of polarization. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
@jordanliles Jordan Liles on x
6/ We still do not know why the company did not respond to our emails, nor is it clear why it waited nearly three months after the Capitol riot to take action on the group. It appears that Facebook realized its mistake and removed the group way later than it would have liked.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Watch 60 Minutes at 7:30pm tonight immediately after the NFL game. Trust me. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jgreenblattadl Jonathan Greenblatt on x
Clegg touts a useless stat - “the prevalence of hate speech on our platform is now down to about 0.05%” - yet Facebook refuses to validate its numbers, has zero transparency, bans good faith researchers like @LauraEdelson2, and is aggressively thwarting oversight.
@frankfigliuzzi1 Frank Figliuzzi on x
Regulate social media now: Whistle-Blower to Accuse Facebook of Contributing to Jan. 6 Riot, Memo Says - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Facebook employees freaking out that social media is bad for teens while it's just another Sunday at XBox Live, TikTok & Snapchat reminds me of Google employees staging walkouts over work considered mundane at Microsoft & Amazon. It's all about expectation setting or mis-setting
@mattrosoff Matt Rosoff on x
Amazing personal story. Google paid for her mba then she got sick and had to quit, her caretaker got pulled into dark places online and that made her want to focus on the subject... https://www.wsj.com/...
@triketora Tracy Chou on x
“[In] the United States there is roughly one law enforcement officer for every 500 people. Facebook has 2.8 billion global monthly active users; that means just 1.3 people working in safety and security for every 100,000 users.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x
It is a little odd that Facebook would bother to research whether or not their product is harmful given that the answer obviously isn't going to alter their decision-making. What was the point? https://twitter.com/...
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
I'll be asking @NickClegg about this on @ReliableSources in the AM... https://twitter.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
NEWS: Whistleblower will accuse Facebook of easing safeguards that led to the January 6th Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to internal memo Policy VP Nick Clegg defends Facebook in a company-wide address from Friday evening, obtained by NYT https://www.nytimes.com/...
@katestarbird Kate Starbird on x
Part of Nick Clegg's preemptive response to the FB whistleblower: “Indeed, polarizing content and misinformation are also present on platforms that have no algorithmic ranking whatsoever, including private messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.” But... https://www.nytimes.com…
@malcolmnance Malcolm Nance on x
Facebook is a loaded gun pointed at the heart of democracy. Enough “likes” & they'll pull the trigger. https://twitter.com/...
@60minutes @60minutes on x
Sunday, meet the Facebook Whistleblower: a former employee who shared thousands of pages of internal research with the Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@kimmasters Kim Masters on x
Somehow this from @nickclegg leaked and now none of us are going to listen to the whistleblower? Slick, Nick. https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
These verbal gymnastics illuminate nothing, which is why I would love to have @nickclegg on for a substantive full hour discussion on Sway at this important moment. Unfortunately, we get persistent declines from FB, even as they book on press with less experience in this arena.
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
Clever Clegg, but no one thinks FB is the PRIMARY cause, tho size creates an amplifier of unprecedented power: “What evidence there is simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media more generally, is the primary cause of polarization.” https://www.nytimes.com/..…
@sanhotree Sanho Tree on x
“The whistle-blower, who plans to reveal her identity during the [60 Minutes] interview, was set to say that Facebook had turned off some of its safety measures around the election — such as limits on live video — too soon after Election Day, the memo said.” https://twitter.com/.…
@pleizar Lil Brood X on x
A literal republican operative (Ben Kaplan) runs Facebook's DC office, no one should be surprised by this https://twitter.com/...
@mollyjongfast Molly Jong-Fast on x
Facebook, they're not just spreading disinformation about the vaccine they're also involved in the insurrection. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@erikreichenb4ch Erik Reichenbach on x
If you still have Facebook, what's your reason? I deleted what I could off Facebook some years ago & am really glad I did. There are other ways to do what Facebook offers without supporting a very broken & malicious company. Hoping @FCC can break off Instagram from FB too https:/…
@melissainjax Melissa Ross on x
“The former employee says the documents prove the company knows its algorithms amplify polarizing and hateful content, adding that societies around the world are being torn apart.. Profit outweighs safety on Facebook, according to the former employee.” https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
Nick Clegg memo to Facebook employee: How to talk to your family about the fact you work for us. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@adhutchinson Andrew Hutchinson on x
I'm not sure Facebook's combative counter approach is the best way to go here, especially with these selective, and vague, defenses https://www.nytimes.com/...
@blakersdozen Blake Montgomery on x
“The whistle-blower was also set to say that Facebook then reaped record profits as its users flocked to the divisive content” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dzuidijk @dzuidijk on x
#Facebook braces for new accusations from the whistleblower over the weekend. The company said in a memo that it was preparing to mount a vigorous defense https://www.nytimes.com/... via @MikeIsaac/@nytimes
@prairyfyre Prairy on x
Inside Facebook, executives have called a series of emergency meetings to try to extinguish some of the outrage. The firestorm is far from over. This Sunday night, the ex-employee who leaked internal company material will appear on 60 Minutes on CBS. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@patiencezalanga Patience on x
When Facebook received no real consequences for Cambridge Analytica, I think that should've signaled that they were and will continue to get away with worse. https://twitter.com/...
@joshraby Josh Raby on x
Something kinda darkly funny about the fact that the VP of Facebook is gonna try to defend the company against the whistleblower's claims on a CNN show called “Reliable Sources” https://twitter.com/...
@lorakolodny Lora Kolodny on x
no justice and no good change happens without whistleblowers https://twitter.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
read the memo in full, which we've embedded in the story below https://www.nytimes.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
Clegg posted the memo internally to employees on Friday evening, after the Times published a story about the past three weeks of emergency meetings and tumult at the company https://www.nytimes.com/...
@caligirlinsf Caligirl on x
@jason_kint She's reportedly going to reveal her identity on 60 Minutes on Sunday. https://www.npr.org/...
@bobbyallyn Bobby Allyn on x
“As a matter of optics, it could be disastrous for Facebook, but they seem not to care about that, and they are not very adept at avoiding disastrous optics.” https://www.npr.org/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
I don't believe this premise is accurate. Reports have said she went to the SEC, too. That absolutely has to protect her but I'm not a lawyer let alone a whistleblower lawyer. https://twitter.com/...
@sidhubaba Siddhartha Mahanta on x
The revelations of the @WSJ's Facebook Files series confirm what researchers and journalists have long suspected. There's an opportunity here for the company to change, if it seizes it, @Klonick writes: https://www.nytimes.com/...
@martinkessler91 Martin Kessler on x
“Whistle-blowing gets us halfway there. We have to do the rest.” https://twitter.com/...
@davidakaye David Kaye on x
this closer from @Klonick is spot on https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@ultraviolet @ultraviolet on x
We, as users of Facebook, have the power to change how @Facebook operates. Join UltraViolet, @kairos_action, @accountabletech, @dailykos, and more in our Facebook & Instagram logout campaign on November 10th >> https://thefblogout.com/ https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/…
@jeffhorwitz Jeff Horwitz on x
This is unfortunate — execs who have traditionally defended research don't seem to be showing up. There are other ways the company could have responded to the reporting. This way seems to confirm that comms comes before work. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@accountabletech @accountabletech on x
Facebook employees should be embarrassed. “In one group text message chain shared with The New York Times, Facebook data scientists and researchers discussed how they were being ‘embarrassed’ by their own employer.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@mikebutcher Mike Butcher on x
Since Instagram has roughly 1 billion users, and Facebook knows - from its *own* research - that 3% of them are suffering mental health problems because of the app, that's around 30 million people. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
In the transformation of tv, people often forget just how many people still tune in to 60 Minutes on NFL Sundays especially when they bridge to a topic of interest across generations. Instagram + whistleblower + scandal is gold for ratings, very bad for Facebook. @brianstelter ht…
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
We all know that Facebook treated protecting kids with disregard. If it had protected kids, like it did its revenue growth, it would have done a whole lot more. Instead, Facebook has evaded, misled, & deceived. 7/
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
Facebook has asked us to trust it, but after these evasions & revelations, why should we? It's clear that Facebook has done nothing to earn that trust. Not from us, not from parents, not from the public. 4/
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
We now know while Facebook publicly denies that Instagram is deeply harmful for teens, privately Facebook researchers/experts have been ringing the alarm. 2/
@senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x
Thread: If trending can get more people interested in discussing Facebook's heinous wrongs, let's talk about it. This month a whistleblower approached my office to provide reports & documents about Facebook & Instagram. What they reveal is damning. 1/
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
FB's top two execs have said nothing publicly about the crisis. Zuckerberg's only public comment about any reporting has been about his hydrofoil, while he's posted about new gadgets. Sandberg held a small business panel. How long can they remain quiet? https://www.nytimes.com/..…

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In a 60 Minutes interview, WSJ's Facebook Files whistleblower says Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, misinformation, and more

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