Updated November 2nd, 2021 at 15:30 IST

Whistleblower: Facebook's actions 'unconscionable'

The whistleblower behind the Facebook papers said on Monday that millions of lives were on the line had she not leaked documents about the social media giant's practices.

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The whistleblower behind the Facebook papers said on Monday that millions of lives were on the line had she not leaked documents about the social media giant's practices.

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen appeared candid as she faced the tens of thousands of attendees of the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, saying she had never felt more afraid than she did waiting to come out on stage, not even when she became the face behind the leak.

In recent days Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company is rebranding itself as Meta in an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future, what Zuckerberg calls the "metaverse."

For Haugen the move just shows how the company is not listening.

Stating that the leaked documents shows a need for investment for "resources on very basic safety systems," she criticised the move to invest in "10,000 engineers in video games."

Skeptics point out that the name change also appears to be an attempt to change the subject from the leaked documents.

Many of these documents, first described by Haugen, have revealed how Facebook ignored or downplayed internal warnings of the negative and often harmful consequences its algorithms wreaked across the world.

Zuckerberg says he expects the metaverse to reach a billion people within the next decade.

The announcement comes amid an existential crisis for Facebook.

It faces heightened legislative and regulatory scrutiny in many parts of the world following the revelations in the Facebook Papers.

The Web Summit kicked off on Monday and is said to be world's biggest tech summit gathering startups, entrepreneurs and leaders from around the globe.

 

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Published November 2nd, 2021 at 15:30 IST