Oct 10th 2021

Facebook Whistleblower calls out Corrupt Practices

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, paints a damning picture of the company as a money maniacal death star to our social values while Lord Zuckerberg feeds as a Caesar of sorts on his ever expanding empire. (Ok, so not entirely a shocker revelation)

On a widely covered 60 minutes interview in the US yesterday, Frances Haugen a former Facebook product manager who has released thousands of Facebook internal documents to the WSJ claimed that, it knowingly let it’s platforms be used to spread hate, violence and misinformation, and that the company has tried to hide evidence that it’s family of apps are affecting societies around the world.

Ms Haugen also singled out Instagram in saying that Facebook was aware of problems with its apps, including the negative effects of misinformation and the harm caused, especially to young girls self image, by the platform.

She further claimed that in many cases Facebook has taken wrong choices where it’s seen as more important to get more user engagement through allowing polarizing, hate inspired content to flow on it’s platforms than police it and get less ad revenue. In an example of wrong choices, she stated that Facebook allowed the organizers of the Jan 6th riots to organize the event on Facebook by turning off election protection measures which would have blocked it.

In a brave move Ms Haugen has also filed 8 complaints with the #SEC about the alleged abuses and it’s apparent lack of integrity in how it does business. Facebook had in fact dissovled its own civic integrity unit in an apparent choice of money over values.

It would appear that the case for breakup of the Facebook empire has grown more legs and that a root and branch review of governance is needed for companies of this size at a federal and ECJ level. State level legal challenges like those from Ireland’s #DPC will effect little or no change to Facebook’s practices.

No one’s saying shut down Facebook, but the steady drumbeat of scandals related to how it’s golden calf avarice for ad revenue at any price is disturbing. The company is at a Serpico moment, does it stand back and let bad things happen or do the right thing and take action to end corrupt practices before the decisions are no longer theirs to make.

You can find the full article on CNN today which I would recommend.

Facebook whistleblower revealed on ’60 Minutes,’