I won't quote from those who can't see what's wrong with Facebook and its lack of ethics as there are a few who have posted to that effect but I assume they will no doubt read this post.I suggest they make some effort to find out what evidence is being given by the whistleblower. There's a lot more to FB and its associate platforms than meets the eye and it's pretty ugly.
This afternoon I watched the whistleblower ex FB employee/product manager Frances Haugen (MBA-Harvard) giving evidence to Congress. Each one of those questioning her thanked her for her bravery. She said she's done it even though she knows that quote "Facebook could destroy me" She left with copies of tens of thousands of documents proving her allegations. She's done this because other staff members have raised their concerns to no avail. The mantra is. 'Growth at all costs' She opened her evidence saying..
“I’m here today because I believe Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy. The company’s leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but won’t make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people.” She added that Facebook was “buying its profits with our safety”
Mark Zuckerberg made himself available to the media and Congress.as mentioned in my previous post, over the Cambridge Analytica scandal but this time he's out sailing in the Pacific with his wife and child. The modus operandi of FB when in trouble is to sit back, with a few comments thrown out now and then and wait for the issue to blow over. It's not going to happen this time,there's no way this will blow over because it's not about adults, politicians and targetting voters or Trump and January 6th it's about children and their safety. Senator Richard Blumenthal sent MZ a list of questions and now knows he received misleading answers. Bluenthal ,as Attorney General for Connecticut, prosecuted the tobacco industry and he said that this is Facebook's 'tobacco moment'
These are some of the issues she spoke about. I expect a full transcript will become available at some point.
No-one under 13 is allowed to sign up yet they're aware that kids will give false ages but they have a system of backtracking which can establish an age and it intentionally targets teenagers and children under 13. At present it's in the process of studying 8 year olds for targeting re their 'Messenger Kids' app. A current employee ( the Global Safety officer,I think) had been asked at a previous hearing how they get details of young kids and she said that they get permission from parents. Facebook's own researchers came back to them with evidence of the harm that the algorithms were doing yet the Global Safety office, when giving evidence to a previous hearing, minimised the findings. Teenagers are allowed to set up secret accounts unbeknown to their parents. Seems the longer a user is actively on the platform the more money FB makes. Quite how,I have no idea. Comes back to adds and viewing time,I assume.
1.5 billion user details are being sold on a hacker's forum. Frances Haugen said that Facebook knew it steered young users towards damaging content...especially anorexia-related forums and that its Instagram app was like cigarettes for under-18s.and that the company did not have enough staff to keep the platform safe and was literally fanning ethnic violence in developing countries.In 2018 they were told about the effect that algorithms containing hate information were having in relation to the murderous campaign against the Rohingya of Myanmar and FB did nothing and it's happening all over again but this time in Ethiopia.
This statistic is awful.13% of UK youngsters and 6% of US youngsters can directly trace their desire to commit suicide back to FB and it's other platforms. Another issue was bullying which takes place at school and whereas in pre social media days kids got home and were isolated from it, it's now with them at home and worse, they're so-called friends post nasty comments. This sort of contact has lead to suicide.
The algorithms even target house sales adverts in certain locations to white's only..ie not to black or Hispanic people.They don't have the same spread for non-whites as they do for white people. She gave an example of how dangerous some ads are and she showed three on a screen advertising quote 'A party like no other' and the background to the lettering were prescription drugs,so the party was about abuse of prescription drugs. Another.. 'Find a love partner' and it was aimed at 13-17 year olds. Another promoting anerexia-related forums.Haugen said that most likely a human hadn't seen these ads..all done by AI tailored to age, gender and location.
She was asked what FB would fear most from the authorities and said...oversight of the algorithms. She said that FB will not change unless forced to. Also, amending, not nullifying, legislation that makes them liable for the consequences of their content because ,at present, section 230 of a 1996 Act protects social media companies from the consequences of their content. They'd do that to negate the protection of the First Amendment re free speech and to avoid the lawyers of FB citing that to negate any action.
Whilst Haugen was giving evidence FB was putting out ,in real time, information to the effect that she couldn't know about some of the evidence she was giving as she didn't and hadn't worked in the relevant departments. However, amongst all the material she has she has covered that aspect,probably knowing FB would say that..
During the hearing Senator Bloomenthal looked at the camera and said "Mark Zuckerberg..if you're watching this we're coming for you and you either work with us or without us..your choice" He described FB as "a monster'. Senator Ed Markey said “Here’s my message for Mark Zuckerberg: your time of invading our privacy, promoting toxic content in preying on children and teens is over. Congress will be taking action. We will not allow your company to harm our children and our families and our democracy, any longer.”
www.nytimes.com
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