A FACEBOOK whistleblower has claimed the tech giant is encouraging hate speech for profit.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen made the allegations after leaking a large amount of damning internal documents.
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Frances Haugen revealed herself as a Facebook whistleblower on SundayCredit: AP
Haugen leaked the Facebook documents to the Wall Street Journal and made some new shocking claims about the 60 minute program.
Haugen’s identity as a whistleblower was a secret until it was revealed on national television in the US yesterday.
She claims that Facebook is so focused on profit that it uses algorithms that encourage hate speech.
Haugen stated that hate speech content can keep people busy and therefore encourages them to stay on Facebook longer.
The longer you are on Facebook, the more likely you are to see more advertisements.
Haugen told 60-minute host Scott Pelley: “It pays for its winnings with our security.”
The former employee used to be a product manager at Facebook, which was part of the Civic Integrity group.
When that group disbanded in 2021, they left the company, claiming they did not trust that they were willing to invest what actually needs to be invested to keep Facebook safe from harm.
“There was a conflict… between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook,” explained Haugen Pelley, “and Facebook kept choosing to optimize for its own interests – such as more money to earn.”
According to a Facebook internal research document leaked by Haugen, “We have evidence from a variety of sources that hate speech, divisive political speech, and misinformation about Facebook and the app family is affecting societies around the world.”
According to Haugen, algorithms that Facebook introduced in 2018 determine what you see in your news feed and are designed to drive engagement.
However, she claims Facebook has found that the best engagement is the type that creates fear and hatred in users.
She said, “It is easier to inspire anger in people than it is to inspire other emotions.”
Haugen is now calling for greater regulation of social networks and will appear in front of a US Senate trade panel tomorrow.
We asked Facebook for a comment.
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