Haugen’s claims do not make sense: FB CEO
WASHINGTON: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pushed back against the testimony of Frances Haugen, a former employee, saying many of her “claims don’t make any sense”.
“If we wanted to ignore research, why would we create an industry-leading research programme to understand these important issues in the first place?” Zuckerberg wrote in an internal note, which he later posted on Facebook, rhetorically questioning Haugen’s charge that the social media giant ignored internal research findings that Facebook and Instagram were harmful for children and public safety as the company prioritised growth over safety.
“At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritise profit over safety and wellbeing. That’s just not true,” Zuckerberg wrote.
The Facebook founder went on to say the business model of the company was nothing like the picture painted of it by Haugen, whom he did not name in the long post. “The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical,” Zuckerberg said, adding, “We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don’t want their ads next to harmful or angry content.”
Zuckerberg has few friends on Capitol Hill, home to the US Congress, and none whatsoever at the subcommittee that heard and agreed with much of Haugen’s testimony, as they sought more details from her, a former product manager, and her suggestion on what she thinks needs to be done.
Many senators pointed out that as the subcommittee heard Haugen’s testimony, Zuckerberg was out sailing with his wife and friends. He had himself posted a video of that but the hearing was clearly on his mind.
Haugen called Facebook’s decision “disastrous” for children, public safety, privacy and democracy and urged the lawmakers to “help” the social media giant fix its issues, which, she added, the company cannot do on its own.
To back her allegations, Haugen has given US Congress thousands of documents containing internal research findings, which she also provided to the Wall Street Journal and US market regulators.
Zuckerberg wrote that he was bothered by a narrative that Facebook is not worried about children’s safety. Two Senate hearings over the past week have focused on Facebook’s impact on teens and young children, including Haugen’s testimony.
The Wall Street Journal published internal Facebook research last month, provided by Haugen, that showed Instagram made some mental health issues worse for teenagers who use the product. The company, which was building a version of Instagram for children, has put that project on hold.