Frances Haugen, a former data scientist at Facebook, testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, telling lawmakers that the social media giant’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,” continued Haugen, who had disclosed thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents to The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets in an attempt to expose what she considers her former company’s refusal to address widely acknowledged problems.
“Congressional action is needed,” she said. “They won’t solve this crisis without your help.”
Haugen, who has sought federal whistleblower protection, said secrecy allows Facebook to ignore the ill societal effects of their decision making. “During my time at Facebook, I came to realize a devastating truth: almost no one outside of Facebook knows what happens inside Facebook,” Haugen explained. “The company intentionally hides vital information from the public, from the U.S. government, and from governments around the world.”
Haugen spotlighted a feature of Facebook’s algorithm – the computer program that dictates what content users see – that she says surfaces extreme content to children. A scoring system called Meaningful Social Interactions (MSI) ranks posts based on how many interactions they generate, particularly among a user’s friends. The higher the score, the more likely it will populate a user’s newsfeed.
This formula seems benign on the surface, but Haugen explained that when Facebook examined it after it was introduced, they discovered that MSI tends to surface divisive and negative content. This isn’t a surprise – outrage often provokes strong feelings.
ABC News reports:
This method has led some people, including children, to content promoting eating disorders, misinformation, and hate-targeted posts, according to Haugen and what she said was in internal company documents she’s submitted to the committee after leaking them to numerous media outlets.
“Facebook knows its engagement ranking on Instagram can lead children from very innocuous topics like healthy recipes […] to anorexic content over a very short period of time,” Haugen alleged. “Facebook knows they are leading young users to anorexia content.”
Internal Facebook documents Haugen leaked to the press shows that 13.5% of teen girls said Instagram, which Facebook owns, worsens suicidal thoughts and 17% of teen girls say that Instagram contributes to their eating disorders.
Haugen said Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, was presented with criticisms of MSI in 2020, but chose to keep it in place.
Haugen’s Congressional testimony mostly focused on the adverse effect Facebook and Instagram have on the mental health of children and teenagers. She suggested that the minimum age for being allowed to use social media should be increased from 13 years old.
“I strongly encourage banning targeted advertisements to children,” Haugen added, noting that Facebook makes approximately $40 billion a year in profit.
“When we realized tobacco companies were hiding the harms it caused, the government took action,” she said. “When we figured out cars were safer with seat belts, the government took action. And today, the government is taking action against companies that hid evidence on opioids. I implore you to do the same here.”
Haugen was also asked about Facebook role’s in facilitating the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Associated Press explains:
Haugen said that Facebook prematurely turned off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation and incitement to violence after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election, alleging that doing so contributed to the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
After the November election, Facebook dissolved the civic integrity unit where Haugen had been working. That was the moment, she said, when she realized that “I don’t trust that they’re willing to actually invest what needs to be invested to keep Facebook from being dangerous.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, asked Haugen about the proliferation of vaccine misinformation on Facebook.
“I do not believe Facebook, as currently structured, has the capability to stop vaccine misinformation,” Haugen said.
She added that Facebook is only able to remove “10 to 20 percent of content” because of the sheer scale of posts, so misinformation often spreads unchecked.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were receptive to Haugen’s message. NPR reports:
At one moment in the hearing, Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas turned to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Moran said they should put aside their partisan differences to tackle a common goal: reining in Facebook.
On such regulation, Blumenthal said: “Our differences are very minor.”
“I share that view,” Moran replied.
“It is clear that Facebook prioritizes profit over the well-being of children and all users,” added Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee.
Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, addressed Zuckerberg at the hearing, although the tech founder was not there.
“Your time of invading our privacy, promoting toxic content, and preying on children and teens is over,” Markey said. “Congress will be taking action. You can work with us or not work with us. We will not allow your company to harm our children, our families, and our democracy any longer. We will act.”
In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Zuckerberg pushed back on Haugen’s testimony, writing to employees “I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted. I’m proud of everything we do to keep building the best social products in the world.”
“At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That’s just not true,” he added.
In a statement, Facebook said Haugen “worked for the company for less than two years, had no direct reports, never attended a decision-point meeting with (top) executives – and testified more than six times to not working on the subject matter in question. We don’t agree with her characterization of the many issues she testified about.”
