Whistleblower testimony about the company’s continuing failure to address problems is pushing legislators to act
This week will be a long, difficult one for Facebook. Yesterday whistleblower Frances Haugen answered questions about its business practices before MPs in a parliamentary hearing, which comes after another whistleblower revealed further issues to American authorities about the company. Haugen’s testimony has clearly rattled Facebook, prompting pushback from the company, including direct attacks from an outspoken PR executive.
Haugen’s comments at hearings here and in the US, and the documents revealed in the last week by whistleblowers, have painted the platform in a less than favourable light. Haugen’s testimony isn’t news to those who have monitored independent research into Facebook, but it becomes all the more shocking when it’s there in black and white, based on the company’s own research, and in its own words.
Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of YouTubers: How YouTube Shook Up TV and Created a New Generation of Stars
