A former Facebook Inc product manager has become one of the company\u2019s highest-profile critics after exposing thousands of internal documents she said showed the social media giant failed to protect users.<\/p>\n
Frances Haugen, who tackled misinformation on the platform, turned over internal research to US lawmakers and the Wall Street Journal, which reported the company knew, but didn\u2019t disclose, the negative impact of services like Instagram. She said she was sounding the alarm over the company\u2019s practices after seeing repeated evidence that Facebook prioritizes profits over the well-being of its users.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook,\u201d she told \u201c60 Minutes\u201d in her first public interview on Sunday. \u201cFacebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests like making more money.\u201d<\/p>\n
The revelations have ignited a firestorm for Facebook in Washington as lawmakers accuse the platform of covering up internal research about its negative effects. The trove of documents she handed over shed light on internal discussions about the company\u2019s content moderation efforts, how it treats high-profile accounts differently from other users, and the mental impact its photo-sharing app Instagram has on young users.<\/p>\n
One study Haugen uncovered showed Facebook took action on as little as 3% to 5% of hate speech on Facebook, and on less than 1% of content classified under \u201cviolence and incitement,\u201d according to 60 Minutes.<\/p>\n
Haugen is set to appear Tuesday before a Senate subcommittee on consumer protection as part of a hearing focused on \u201cprotecting kids online.\u201d Last week, lawmakers questioned Antigone Davis, Facebook\u2019s global head of safety, over documents that showed Instagram can worsen the mental health of teens who are already suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom her first visit with my office, I have admired her backbone and bravery in revealing terrible truths about one of the world\u2019s most powerful, implacable corporate giants,\u201d Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the subcommittee holding next week\u2019s hearing, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now know about Facebook\u2019s destructive harms to kids \u2014 harms that Facebook concealed and knowingly exploited to increase profits \u2014 because of documents Frances revealed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Facebook spokesperson Lena Pietsch, calling the 60 Minutes segment \u201cmisleading,\u201d said in a statement that the company seeks to balance free expression with the need to keep the platform safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to make significant improvements to tackle the spread of misinformation and harmful content,\u201d she said. \u201cTo suggest we encourage bad content and do nothing is just not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haugen started working at Facebook in June 2019 after stints at Google, Yelp and Pinterest, according to her LinkedIn page. The Iowa native was recruited to Facebook to be the lead product manager on the civic misinformation team and later worked on counter-espionage, according to her website.<\/p>\n
Frances told 60 Minutes she agreed to take the Facebook job so she could work against misinformation after seeing a friend get wrapped up in online conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never wanted anyone to feel the pain that I had felt,\u201d she told the network. \u201cI had seen how high the stakes were in terms of making sure there was high-quality information on Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her time at Facebook, Frances grew more alarmed by the choices the company was making to prioritize its own growth at the expense of the public, she said.<\/p>\n
Included in the trove of documents Haugen shared was a series of internal research slides outlining the impact that Facebook photo-sharing app Instagram has on teenagers, reported in September as part of a series of stories by the Wall Street Journal. The research showed that using Instagram often makes things worse for young people who suffer from existing mental health problems, such as anxiety or body image issues.<\/p>\n
Her lawyers have also filed at least eight complaints with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the 60 Minutes segment.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear Haugen left Facebook knowing full-well she planned to hand over damning company documents. After resigning from her job in April, Haugen stayed at Facebook an additional month, collecting material on the company she felt proved Facebook had failed to be responsible, the Journal reported.<\/p>\n
She expected the company to notice her activity, which included viewing documents unrelated to her job, she added. Facebook can see when employees view certain documents or make specific searches on the company\u2019s internal communication product, called Workplace.<\/p>\n
Haugen even left a cryptic message for the company on her last day, the Journal reported, by using the internal search function to type: \u201cI don\u2019t hate Facebook. I love Facebook. I want to save it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haugen grew up attending the Iowa caucuses with her professor parents, which instilled in her \u201ca strong sense of pride in democracy and responsibility for civic participation,\u201d according to her website. Now, she sees herself as \u201can advocate for public oversight of social media.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can have social media we enjoy that brings out the best in humanity,\u201d she says on her website.<\/p>\n
Facebook has pushed back on some of the Journal\u2019s stories, claiming that data was \u201ccherry-picked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, the uproar that followed the reports led the company last week to halt plans to roll out a separate version of Instagram for children under 13, citing the need for further consultation with experts, parents and policymakers. Facebook says it\u2019s not abandoning the idea of building the app entirely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still think building this experience is the right thing to do, but we want to take more time to speak with parents and experts working out how to get this right,\u201d tweeted Instagram head Adam Mosseri.<\/p>\n
At a hearing on the topic last week, lawmakers blasted Facebook, arguing that the company has focused on profits ahead of efforts to make its products safer for kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not trust you,\u201d said Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, the panel\u2019s ranking Republican.<\/p>\n