Facebook chief ’s horrifying boasts
‘Anything that helps the firm grow is good... even if someone is exposed to bullies,’ wrote social media giant executive
A FACEBOOK boss said the drive to keep expanding the social media giant was justified even if it led to deaths or ‘questionable’ practices with data. A leaked internal memo revealed the executive said even if Facebook was used by bullies – and possibly led to someone taking their life – or by terrorists planning attacks then the most important thing was connecting people and ensuring the growth of the company.
Andrew Bosworth also said ethically dubious data practices could be justified if they resulted in Facebook continuing to grow. In frantic Twitter posts after the memo was made public, Mr Bosworth claimed he did not actually agree with the document and was only being ‘provocative’.
But for many it showed the real mindset of Facebook bosses.
The social media company is going through its worst ever crisis after allegations its lax privacy policies could have unfairly swung the US presidential election and the UK’s Brexit referendum in 2016.
The claims have led to the firm being investigated by privacy regulators in the US, the UK and Europe.
Mr Bosworth, who prefers to be known as Boz, is part of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle and joined the company in 2006.
He has been involved in everything from the news feed shown to users to its anti-abuse systems.
His memo, written in January 2016 and obtained by the website Buzzfeed, said: ‘So we connect more people.
‘Intended to be provocative’
That can be good if they make it positive. Maybe someone finds love. Maybe it even saves the life of someone on the brink of suicide.
‘That can be bad if they make it negative. Maybe it costs someone a life by exposing someone to bullies. Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools.’
In another section, he said: ‘We connect people. Period. That’s why all the work we do in growth is justified.
‘All the questionable contact importing practices. All the subtle language that helps people stay searchable by friends. All of the work we do to bring more communication in.’
Such an attitude has led Facebook to amass more than two billion users.
But the cost became apparent in the past few weeks when it emerged that Facebook’s inadequate privacy rules allowed Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting company, to harvest the data of 50million users without their permission. Whistleblower Christopher Wylie alleges the data was used to help build profiles on American voters and raise support for Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election.
Social media has been a boon to terrorists, who have used it to spread hate. Groups such as Al Qaeda and Isis have set up special teams to make use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Mr Bosworth’s memo sparked anger within Facebook, according to internal posts by employees obtained by tech website The Verge.
One employee asked if the company was hiring ‘smart people’ who ‘lack a moral compass and loyalty’.
Mr Bosworth said he wrote the memo to ‘bring to the surface issues I felt deserved more discussion’, even though he did not agree with them.
He wrote: ‘It was intended to be provocative. This was one of the most unpopular things I’ve ever written internally and the ensuing debate helped shape our tools for the better.’
Mr Zuckerberg said: ‘Boz is a talented leader who says many provocative things. This was one that most people at Facebook including myself disagreed with strongly.’
Yesterday the Irish Daily Mail revealed how Facebook shot down a Government minister’s initiative here to provide greater protection for children vulnerable to online targeting by paedophiles and bullies.
Mental health minister Jim Daly met the social media giant to outline plans to help prevent those under 13 years of age being open to target.
However, Facebook turned down his proposals.
According to documents released under Freedom of Information legislation, the minister wrote to Mark Zuckerberg in December seeking support for stricter controls on registering for accounts, through an ‘online verification code’. The firm met him and his special adviser at its Dublin headquarters last month.
Facebook staff present were head of data protection, head of content policy, and the ‘counsel, content and regulatory’. They said they would not be introducing any new measures to authenticate accounts when they are being opened.
Minutes of the meeting show Mr Daly said his main concern was not with what Facebook users do but with the registration process.
His spokesman said he has since written to Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon about online verification.