Whistleblower decries Facebook’s ‘free pass’ for bad behaviour

Haugen, 37, testified Oct 5 before a panel of the Senate Commerce Committee, describing research she said showed Facebook prioritised profit while stoking division, undermining democracy and harming the mental-health of its youngest users. — AP

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 Oct 5 before a panel of the Senate Commerce Committee, describing research she said showed the company prioritised 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.