Frances Haugen
Mark Zuckerberg
I avoid using Facebook. Whistleblower Frances Haugen confirms what I have believed about Facebook for years and what the European Union has fought in court, successfully, in Europe.
Avoiding FB completely is a near possibility but while it continues its malevolent and malicious policies, I will continue to eschew this social media behemoth.
Frances Haugen is a data science engineer who worked for FB. She recently appeared on 60 minutes as the Facebook whistleblower.
Frances Haugen, a Facebook whistleblower, appeared on CBS 60 minutes, Oct. 3 and complained that Facebook’s amplifies hate, misinformation and political unrest—but the company hides what it knows. She alleged that Facebook’s Instagram harms teenage girls. Haugen had a trove of Facebook research to support her allegations.
Some of Haugen’s allegations:
- Facebook incentivizes “angry, polarizing, divisive content”
- conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook; Facebook chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money
- Facebook’s own research shows that it amplifies hate, misinformation and political unrest—but the company hides what it knows.
- Facebook optimizes content to get engagement, or reaction.
- It’s easier to inspire people to anger than it is to other emotions.
- 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.
- Facebook was used by some to organize the January 6th insurrection.
- Facebook essentially amplifies the worst of human nature.
- Facebook is a $1 trillion company; it has 2.8 billion users, which is 60% of all internet-connected people on Earth.
- Facebook chooses profit over safety.
For the full CBS interview, see: 60 minutes Facebook
