Congress demands Mark Zuckerberg answer questions at Haugen hearing

As senators absorbed Tuesday’s testimony from Facebook’s whistleblower, who leaked the company’s internal research to reporters, they demanded to hear from the official.

Before a Senate subcommittee, Frances Haugen, former product manager at Facebook, said the company has repeatedly prioritized profits over user safety. Haugen said she felt compelled to come forward because “hardly anyone outside of Facebook knows what’s going on inside Facebook.”

There is one person in the company who knows more than anyone: CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But on Sunday, as “60 Minutes” was due to air Haugen’s first press interview as an unmasked whistleblower, Zuckerberg released a video that showed him sailing with his wife, Priscilla Chan.

“Mark Zuckerberg should be looking at himself in the mirror today, and yet, rather than taking responsibility and showing leadership, Mr. Zuckerberg is going to be sailing,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Chairman of the subcommittee that held Tuesday’s hearing. “No apologies, no confessions, no action, nothing to do here. Mark Zuckerberg, you have to come before this committee, you have to explain to Francis Haugen, to us, to the world and to the parents of America what you were doing and why you did it. “

Since the Wall Street Journal began publishing a series of articles last month, based on documents provided by Haugen, Zuckerberg has been noticeably silent on the matter. The stories revealed many troubling issues in Facebook’s apps, as well as the company’s own research that shows Instagram is harmful to teen mental health.

Zuckerberg’s closest to bringing up the matter was September 21, after a New York Times article said Facebook’s current PR strategy is to keep the CEO away from scandals and not apologize for it. The Times incorrectly stated in the article that Zuckerberg recently posted a video of himself on an electric surfboard.

Zuckerberg took offense, with a sarcastic response.

“Look, it’s one thing the media is saying the wrong things about my job, but it’s crossing the line to say I’m on an electric surfboard when this video clearly shows a hydrofoil I’m pumping with my own legs, ”Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.

He was referring to a viral video from July 4, which showed him riding a hydrofoil while holding an American flag. Coupled with the weekend’s sailing video, senators said Zuckerberg was missing the moment.

“Mark Zuckerberg is going to be sailing and not apologizing,” Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Said during the hearing. “I think the time has come to act. And I think you are the catalyst for this action.”

By keeping his distance from Journal reports and whistleblower documents, Zuckerberg has let other company officials take the heat publicly. Last week, for example, Facebook sent Antigone Davis, its global security chief, to testify before the same committee on the Journal’s reports and the company’s research.

And on Tuesday, as Haugen testified, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone took to Twitter in an attempt to discredit the ex-employee’s authority, stressing that she was not working directly on the issues. in question.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Read Stone’s tweet towards the end of the hearing and said the company had an open stage to tell their side of the story.

“I’ll just say this to Mr. Stone: if Facebook wants to discuss its targeting of children, if it wants to discuss its practices, the invasion of privacy or breaches of privacy law? Online Kids, I invite you to step forward, take an oath and testify before this committee, “said Blackburn.” We would love to hear from you and welcome your testimony. “

Ultimately, it’s Zuckerberg they want to question. He is the founder, visionary, most important shareholder and he still controls more than half of the voting rights. Haugen made this point in committee.

“Mark has built an organization that is very metrics driven,” Haugen said. “It’s not meant to be flat, there is no one-sided accountability. The metrics make the decision. Unfortunately, that in itself is a decision. And in the end, if he’s the CEO and the president of Facebook, he is responsible for these decisions. “

“The male stops with the male stops with him?” Blumenthal asked.

“The money stops with him,” Haugen said.

After the hearing, Stone tweeted a statement from Facebook, suggesting that Haugen was not in a position to know the inner workings of the company.

“We don’t agree with her description of the many issues she testified to,” Facebook said.

Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., Thanked Haugen for coming forward, called her an “American hero of the 21st century” and said the committee was going after Zuckerberg.

“This is my message for Mark Zuckerberg: your time to invade our privacy, promote toxic content and prey on children and teens is over,” said Markey. “We will no longer allow your business to harm our children, our families and our democracy.”

Following the hearing, Blumenthal said it was premature to consider subpoenaing Zuckerberg, adding that he would have to voluntarily appear before Congress.

“He has a public responsibility to answer these questions,” Blumenthal said.

– CNBC Lauren Feiner contributed to this report.

LOOK: A Facebook investor on the testimony of a whistleblower