“It’s more dangerous now:” Facebook whistleblower speaks to LBC

A whistleblower who leaked documents revealing the inner workings of Facebook tells LBC that the world of tech platforms is ‘more dangerous than when I stepped forward.’

Frances Haugen is a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower who cliamed the platform prioritised ‘profit over public safety.’

Haugen said that Facebook knew that ‘divisive content’ would be prioritised by the algorithm yet did nothing to address this, despite concerns about toxifying public debates surrounding politics.

She said that, ‘when Elon Musk bought Twitter,’ the remaining safety standards upheld by tech companies, ‘fell apart.’

‘Musk set a precedent that you don’t have to invest in safety, you could get away with it,’ she said.

Haugen added she would not feel comfortable allowing children to be on social media sites like Instagram as they ‘lead them to feeling anxious and less than [others].’

Since becoming a whistleblower, Haugen has become an advocate for greater regulation of tech platorms. She told LBC, ‘we have to stand up and we have to demand more.’

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