Current:Home > StocksFacebook whistleblower Francis Haugen: No accountability for privacy features implemented to protect young people -FinanceMind
Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugen: No accountability for privacy features implemented to protect young people
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-06 16:11:55
Former Facebook data scientist Francis Haugen anonymously leaked thousands of pages of research in 2021, revealing potential risks linked to the company's algorithms. Haugen later disclosed her identity on "60 Minutes."
Her revelations shed light on the dark side of social media algorithms and emphasized the urgent need for transparency and accountability in the industry. Haugen's new book, "The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook," highlights the importance of addressing the lack of accountability in the powerful but opaque social media industry.
Haugen's book release earlier this month came just weeks after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned about the detrimental effects of social media on young people's mental health.
Meta declined to comment on Haugen's memoir or the surgeon general's advisory but provided CBS News with a list of tools and privacy features they've implemented to protect young people, including age verification technology to ensure that teenagers have age-appropriate experiences on the platform. The company also said it automatically sets teens accounts to private and implemented measures to prevent unwanted interactions with unknown adults.
However, Haugen said some features were already in progress before her revelations, and their effectiveness remains unaccountable.
"Those features, we don't have any accountability on them, like, researchers don't get to study the effectiveness. Facebook just gets to use them as PR marketing stunts," she said.
She criticized Facebook for preventing researchers from studying its operations and even resorting to legal action against those who exposed the truth.
"They've sued researchers who caught them with egg on their face. Companies that are opaque can cut corners at the public expense and there's no consequences," she said.
As concerned parents struggle to monitor their children's social media usage, Haugen called for action through elected representatives. She said pending legislation, such as the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, is working to protect children's privacy online but that more needs to be done.
"You know, we haven't updated our privacy laws for kids online since the 90s. Like, think of how much the internet has changed since then," she said. "You can do a lot as a parent. But these companies have hundreds of employees that are trying to make their apps stickier. You're fighting an impossible fight."
- In:
- Meta
veryGood! (84)
Related
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- School of Rock Costars Caitlin Hale and Angelo Massagli Hint at Engagement
- 'Joker 2' review: Joaquin Phoenix returns in a sweeter, not better, movie musical
- Mark Estes and the Montana Boyz Will Be “Looking for Love” in New Show After Kristin Cavallari Split
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- SEC, Big Ten moving closer to taking their college football ball home and making billions
- Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: What to know about new Nintendo Switch game
- Wisconsin Department of Justice investigating mayor’s removal of ballot drop box
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Whitney Leavitt Addresses Rumors About Her Husband’s Sexuality
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Judge refuses to dismiss Alabama lawsuit over solar panel fees
- Search continues for missing 16-year-old at-risk Texas girl days after Amber Alert issued
- Tia Mowry Sets the Record Straight on Relationship With Sister Tamera Mowry
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Nibi the ‘diva’ beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decides
- US nuclear weapon production sites violated environmental rules, federal judge decides
- Helene’s powerful storm surge killed 12 near Tampa. They didn’t have to die
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Luke Bryan says Beyoncé should 'come into our world' and 'high-five us' after CMAs snub
Collapse of national security elites’ cyber firm leaves bitter wake
Week 5 NFL fantasy running back rankings: Top RB streamers, starts
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
A crash saved a teenager whose car suddenly sped up to 120 mph in the rural Midwest
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: What to know about new Nintendo Switch game
Garth Brooks denies rape accusations, says he's 'not the man they have painted me to be'