Whistle-Blower Decries Facebook’s ‘Free Pass’ for Bad Behavior
- Facebook puts profits over safety, insider tells lawmakers
- Internal documents show company knew about harms, didn’t act
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Facebook Inc. is well aware of the societal and mental-health risks posed by its platforms, but wants lawmakers to think the problems are too difficult to fix, according to a company whistle-blower.
Frances Haugen, 37, a former product manager at Facebook, testified Tuesday before a panel of the Senate Commerce Committee, describing research she said showed the company prioritized profit while stoking division, undermining democracy and harming the mental-health of its youngest users. Haugen shared Facebook’s internal studies with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Wall Street Journal.