Facebook: The Heavy Accusations Of The Former Employee

A former Facebook employee points the finger at Mark Zuckerberg’s social network, making heavy accusations. The theme is the circulation of fake news and disinformation management on the platform, which would not have been managed as announced by Zuckerberg.

The accusations made by Frances Huagen, a former employee who left Facebook several months ago, to the platform are undoubtedly heavy. According to Huagen, the social network created by Zuckerberg would have announced that it wanted to fight disinformation, only to prioritize the contents that could generate greater engagement and profits.

Among these were the posts that incite hatred and have encouraged users to assault Congress in Washington on January 6 last. For its part, Facebook has rejected the accusations and called it “ridiculous” to believe that the social network may have responsibility for what happened.

Facebook: The Accusations Of The Former Employee

It all started when Huagen left the social network and told broadcaster CBS News about her experience on Facebook. During an interview on the show 60 minutes, Huagen is referred to as ” Facebook Whistleblower, “where ” whistleblower ” refers to former employees of a company who make statements about suspicious activities they have witnessed.

In the interview, the former employee claims that Facebook used ” security systems ” to control misinformation on the platform ahead of the presidential election. Of the United States of 2020, but not with the accuracy that Zuckerberg had announced.

Specifically, Huagen said: ” I have seen over and over that there were conflicts of interest between what was suitable for the audience and what was good for Facebook, and Facebook again chose to optimize its interests. , how to make more money “.

According to the former employee, content containing hate and fake news generates more interactions, and therefore more traffic for the platform. Moderating some content means getting less advertising and fewer profits, and for this reason, Huagen says, Facebook would turn a blind eye to what was happening. A lack of control that, for the whistleblower would have resulted in an assault on Congress by Donald Trump supporters on January 6.

Frances Haugen: Who Is The Former Employee

37-year-old computer engineer Frances Huagen joined Facebook in 2019 after working for other Big Tech giants, such as Google and Pinterest. After leaving the social network, Huagen said she was concerned about company policies and brought several internal documents to the attention of authorities and the media.

After filing several complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US government authority that deals with financial markets, he gave interviews to CBS News and shared documents with The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, she will be heard as a witness by the Senate subcommittee working on consumer protection, product safety, and data security.

Facebook’s Response

The response from the social network giant to the interview on 60 Minutes was not long in coming. Facebook spokesperson Lena Pietsch denied any allegations and stressed that employees ensure the platform is a safe and positive place where billions of users can speak out.

Pietsch reiterates that countering disinformation is one of Facebook’s priorities, but the fight against fake news on the social network is a complex challenge. Finally, he reaffirmed that Facebook has worked to ensure security and fight fake news during and even after the presidential elections, so it is ridiculous to believe that the platform may have encouraged the assault on the US Congress.

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