Another whistleblower has now accused Facebook of wrongdoing
Since a disgruntled employee revealed internal analyses revealing the business was aware of possible harm stoked by its services, Facebook has received a barrage of criticism.
A former Facebook employee reportedly told US authorities on Friday that the company prioritizes profitability over removing harmful information, just weeks after another whistleblower stoked the company’s newest crisis with identical claims. According to a Washington Post report, an alleged new whistleblower filed a complaint with the US financial authority Securities and Exchange Commission, which might exacerbate the company’s problems.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen published internal papers revealing the business was aware of possible harm generated by its platforms, causing US politicians to renew their quest for legislation.
The new whistleblower recounts alleged statements from 2017, when the firm was debating how to handle the crisis over Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, in the SEC lawsuit.
“It’ll be a one-hit-wonder. Some legislators will become enraged. After that, they’ll go on to something new in a few weeks. Meanwhile, we’re good because we’re printing money in the basement “According to The Washington Post, Tucker Bounds, a member of Facebook’s communications team, was quoted in the complaint as saying.
According to the newspaper, the second whistleblower signed the lawsuit on October 13, a week after Haugen’s blistering speech before a Senate panel.
Haugen testified before Congress that Facebook prioritized profits before safety, prompting her to leak reams of internal corporate studies, which were used to support a damning Wall Street Journal investigation.
According to the Washington Post, a recent SEC filing by a whistleblower says that Facebook executives consistently impeded efforts to tackle misinformation and other harmful content for fear of angering then-US President Donald Trump or alienating profit-generating users.
The article was “beneath the Washington Post, which for the last five years would only report stories after deep digging with verifying sources,” according to Erin McPike, a Facebook spokeswoman.
Although Facebook has been the subject of prior firestorms of controversy, this has not resulted in significant new US legislation to govern social media.
