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Facebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety

FacebookFacebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety Frances Haugen filed at least eight complaints against the company regarding its approach to safety Dan Milmo Global technology editorTue 5 Oct 2021 07.50 EDTLast modified on Tue 5 Oct 2021 08.44 EDTThe Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who testifies at the US Congress on Tuesday, has filed at least eight complaints with the US financial watchdog accusing the social media company of serially misleading investors and politicians over its approach to safety.The complaints, published online by the news programme 60 Minutes late on Monday, hours before Haugen’s testimony to US senators at 10am EDT (3pm BST), are based on tens of thousands of internal documents that Haugen copied shortly before she quit Facebook in May.The complaints and testimony from Haugen, who stepped forward on Sunday as the source of a damning series of revelations in the Wall Street Journal, are taking place against a backdrop of operational chaos for Facebook, whose platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, went offline around the world for nearly six hours on Monday.The first whistleblower complaint filed to the US Securities and Exchange Commission relates to the 6 January riots in Washington, when crowds of protesters stormed the Capitol, and alleges that Facebook knowingly chose to permit political misinformation and contests statements made by its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to the contrary.“Our anonymous client is disclosing original evidence showing that Facebook … has, for years past and ongoing, …

As a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?

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FacebookAs a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?Pressure grows on social network after US senators challenge Instagram over impact of app on children’s mental health Dan Milmo Global technology editorSat 2 Oct 2021 01.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 2 Oct 2021 05.28 EDTUS lawmakers have left Facebook in no doubt this week that revelations about the impact of its Instagram app on teen mental health have further damaged the company’s reputation. The Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said the social network was “indefensibly delinquent” in its behaviour and had “chosen growth over children’s mental health”, after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Facebook’s internal research had flagged concerns that its photo-sharing app was damaging the wellbeing of young users.The pressure on Facebook is likely to increase on Sunday when a whistleblower appears on US TV to claim that the company is lying to the public and investors about the effectiveness of its attempts to remove hate, violence and misinformation from its platforms.The whistleblower, who has submitted thousands of internal documents to the US financial regulator, will then appear at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.The WSJ report and the whistleblower’s appearance take place against a backdrop of active attempts to rein in the power of Facebook and other tech companies. Here are some of the proposals being considered for regulating Facebook.A break-upThe US competition watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission, has lodged a lawsuit demanding that …

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Universal Music chief predicts billions of dollars of growth from digital listening

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Universal MusicUniversal Music chief predicts billions of dollars of growth from digital listeningRecord firm’s €40bn flotation is just beginning of new wave of music consumption, says Sir Lucian Grainge ‘Ruthless but good ears’: key architect of music industry revival Mark Sweney@ …

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Facebook: some high-profile users ‘allowed to break platform’s rules’

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Facebook: some high-profile users ‘allowed to break platform’s rules’ XCheck system ‘whitelists’ well-known users who are given special treatment, says Wall Street Journal report Dan Milmo Global technology editor, Mon 13 Sep 2021 15.50 EDT — Facebook gives high-profile users special treatment, which includes immunity from its rules for some, and allowed Brazilian footballer Neymar […]

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Ethiopia starts building local rival to Facebook

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Ethiopia starts building local rival to Facebook Government wants its own social media platform to replace Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Zoom Ethiopia has begun developing its own social media platform to rival Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, though it does not plan to block the global services, the state communications security agency has said. For the […]

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