Frances Haugen denounced the “harmful effects” of Facebook in the US Senate | Former tech giant employee demanded more regulation from lawmakers

The exempleada of Facebook, Frances Haugen, argued before U.S. lawmakers that the social media giant encourages division, harms children and needs to be regulated urgently. Haugen gave his testimony on Capitol Hill after a leak to authorities and the newspaper The Wall Street Journal a huge archive of internal Facebook investigations showing the “harmful effect” of the social network on underage users.

Concretely, the informant indicated on Tuesday that the use of platforms developed by Facebook can generate addictive behavior and encourage habits that lead to eating disorders. Besides Facebook would give green light to messages inciting hatred and violence, despite having enough tools to at least mitigate its effect. Haugen spoke to senators a day after Facebook, its Instagram photo-sharing app and WhatsApp messaging service were down for about seven hours, affecting “billions of users,” according to tracker Downdetector.

“Your products harm children”

“My name is Frances Haugen,” said the data engineer at the start of her statement, which was written. “I was working on Facebook. I joined the company because I believe in its potential to bring out the best in us. I appear before you today to assert that their products harm children, fuel division, weaken our democracy and much more. Those who run the business know how to secure Facebook and Instagram, but they won’t. There is an urgent need for Congress to act, ”he said.

“The gravity of this crisis is forcing us to leave our old regulatory frameworks”, underlined Haugen, who has worked for companies such as Google and Pinterest although he assures that Facebook was “substantially worse” than anything I had seen before. The whistleblower (insider) noted the risks of the social media giant’s platforms fueling a dangerous increase in “eating disorders, body shame and personal dissatisfaction” among young people.

“There will be women on this planet 60 years from now with fragile bones because of the decisions Facebook made to focus on profit.”, Haugen predicted in this direction and clarified that the company acts like the tobacco industry, promoting addictive habits among minors via Instagram.

During the presentation to Congress, Haugen clarified that his work on Facebook focuses on algorithms and the recommendations that are made to the user. “Facebook knows that content that elicits an extreme reaction is more likely to get a click, a comment or someone to share it, “assured the informant.

“In some cases, this dangerous online conversation has led to actual violence that injures and even kills people.. It’s not just about some social media users who are angry or unstable. It’s about Facebook, which chooses to grow at all costs, ”said Haugen.

The 37-year-old started working at Facebook in 2019 as head of the Products department, but He decided to quit the company due to the misinformation he saw after the November 2020 US election, which led to the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6 by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. In fact, Haugen worked in the Civic Disinformation Unit, which was dismantled by the company after these elections.

“Your time is up”

Lawmakers in the sub-committee that received Haugen on Tuesday have not spared criticism from Facebook and its CEO either. “This is my message to Mark Zuckerberg. Gone are the days of invading our privacy, promoting toxic content, and enjoying children and teens.“said the senator Ed markey. “Congress will take action. We will not allow your business to continue to harm our children, our families and our democracy,” Markey added.

His Democratic counterpart, Amy Klobuchar, said whistleblower disclosures were the boost Congress needed. “The time to act is now, and I think you are the catalyst for this action,” Klobuchar said, turning his gaze to Haugen. U.S. lawmakers have threatened to regulate the activities of Facebook and other platforms for years deal with criticism that tech giants invade privacy, amplify misinformation and undermine the well-being of young people.

In addition to the historic blackout for people, businesses, and others who rely solely on corporate tools, Zuckerberg himself has suffered a financial blow. Fortune magazine’s billionaire web crawler reported that Zuckerberg’s personal fortune plummeted by nearly $ 6 billion compared to the previous day, amounting to just under $ 117 billion.

Zuckerberg came under heavy criticism throughout Tuesday’s hearing not just for his role in the company’s decision-making. Ahead of airing an interview with Haugen on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday, the Facebook CEO posted a video on social media with his wife, Priscilla Chan, and a few friends aboard a boat. recreation.

The footage led the chairman of the Congressional subcommittee that received Haugen on Tuesday, the Democrat Richard blumenthal, comments: “Adolescents who look in the mirror today feel doubts and insecurity. Mark Zuckerberg should be looking at himself in the mirror today, but instead of taking responsibility and showing leadership, he’s going to be sailing. It’s your modus operandi“.