Frances Haugen
Frances Haugen | |
---|---|
Born | Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
Education | Olin College (BS) Harvard University (MBA) |
Occupation(s) | Data scientist and engineer, product manager |
Website | franceshaugen |
Frances Haugen (born 1983 or 1984
Haugen has also testified before the
Early life and education
Haugen was raised in
Haugen studied electrical and computer engineering in the founding class at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering[8][3] and graduated in 2006.[9] She later earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2011.[10][1][11]
Career
In 2006, after graduating from college, Haugen was hired by Google, and worked on
In 2015, she began work as a data product manager at
In 2019, Haugen joined Facebook, after a person close to her became radicalized online; she "felt compelled to take an active role in creating a better, less toxic Facebook"[15] and thought "Facebook has the potential to bring out the best of us".[16] When Facebook recruited her, she expressed interest in a role related to misinformation; in 2019 she became a product manager on the Facebook civic integrity team.[6]
Following the 2020 United States elections, Facebook dissolved its civic integrity team, and Haugen became disillusioned.[17] While still at Facebook, she decided to become a whistleblower, due to what she has since described as a pattern of Facebook's prioritization of profit over public safety,[18] and left Facebook in May 2021.[19]
In the spring of 2021, she contacted John Tye, a founder of the pro bono law firm Whistleblower Aid, for help; Tye agreed to represent her and to help protect her anonymity.[18] In the late summer of 2021, Haugen began meeting with members of the United States Congress, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Marsha Blackburn.[20]
The Facebook Files
Starting in September 2021,
Following the publication of the Wall Street Journal articles about Facebook's practices, the United States Senate Commerce Committee's Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security scheduled two hearings, with Antigone Davis, the global head of safety for Facebook, the first to be questioned, on September 30, 2021, Haugen, the hitherto-anonymous whistleblower, was questioned on October 5, 2021.[22]
On October 3, 2021, Haugen disclosed her identity as the Facebook whistleblower when she appeared on
Haugen had shared documents with members of the U.S. Congress and offices of various attorneys general, but not with the Federal Trade Commission.[1] Facebook's market capitalization dropped by $6 billion within 24 hours of Haugen's 3 October 60 Minutes interview and after the October 4, 2021 2021 Facebook outage.[24][25] Based on the leaked documents, Kevin Roose, writing for The New York Times, suggested Facebook might be a weaker social media company than it previously appeared to be.[26]
After Haugen publicly disclosed her identity,
Securities and Exchange Commission complaints
At least eight complaints were filed with the
Haugen's complaint included internal Facebook documents pertaining to Facebook management of misinformation and hate speech in India.[32][33] The complaint stated that many users and pages associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) promoted fear-mongering and anti-Muslim narratives, with an intent to incite violence.[34] She alleged that Facebook was well aware of the incendiary anti-Muslim narratives promoted in India.[35][36] Haugen also asserted that the lack of Hindi and Bengali Facebook classifiers[clarification needed] meant that corrective action on problematic posts was often neglected.[34][37]
Public statements by Facebook CEO
October 5, 2021 U.S. Congress testimony
On October 5, 2021, Haugen testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee's Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security.[40][41][42] A written version of her opening statement to the U.S. Senate subcommittee was published on October 4, 2021.[43]
Haugen stated during the hearing, "The company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but won't make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They won’t solve this crisis without your help."[44][45] Haugen further discussed Myanmar and Ethiopia, stating Facebook is "literally fanning ethnic violence" when engagement-based ranking is deployed without functioning integrity and security systems.[46] Haugen also indicated she is in communication with another U.S. congressional committee about issues related to espionage and disinformation,[47] and a reason she has not shared documents with the Federal Trade Commission is because she believes Facebook systems will "continue to be dangerous even if they're broken up."[48] After the hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Commerce subcommittee, said Haugen "wants to fix Facebook, not burn it to the ground."[49]
In the wake of Haugen's testimony, the response from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that day included "Many of the claims don't make any sense. I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted",[50][51] and "We're committed to doing the best work we can, but at some level the right body to assess trade-offs between social equities is our democratically elected Congress."[52] A post-hearing statement from Lena Pietsch, Facebook's director of policy communications, included, "We agree on one thing. It's time to begin to create standard rules for the internet."[53] Senator Blumenthal indicated he wanted Zuckerberg to testify before Congress regarding the documents disclosed by Haugen, and that the subcommittee might issue a subpoena to Facebook for more records.[54]
State attorneys general actions
Documents disclosed by Haugen were shared with state attorneys general offices in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Nebraska and Tennessee.[55] On October 13, 2021, in response to disclosures made by Haugen to The Wall Street Journal, more than a dozen U.S. state attorneys general sent a letter to Facebook requesting information about the Facebook "XCheck system" that protects high-profile users and Facebook action against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.[55]
On November 12, 2021, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook) on behalf of investors, alleging repeated false representations by executives, including chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, CFO David Wehner, and global affairs and communications executive Nick Clegg, about the safety of the platform, based on documents leaked by Haugen and documents collectively known as "The Facebook Papers".[56] The lawsuit seeks over $100 billion in damages and for the company to implement reforms.[56]
On November 18, 2021, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general announced a consumer protection investigation of Meta based on documents shared by Haugen.[57] The investigation includes a focus on Instagram, how Meta promotes engagement, and possible harms to children and teenagers.[57]
Additional actions
On October 6, 2021, Haugen's attorney John Tye said the legal team and Haugen are in communication with the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the European Parliament and the French Parliament.[58] The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol have confirmed plans to meet with Haugen.[59]
On October 11, 2021, Facebook's
On October 25, 2021, Haugen testified before the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[62] During her testimony, she advocated for government regulation of Facebook, and for Facebook to make changes.[63]
On November 8, 2021, she appeared before the
On May 18, 2022, after the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union had reached a political agreement on the Digital Services Act, Haugen reappeared before the Parliament.[69] She congratulated the EU lawmakers for the result and called for the European Commission and the member states to put a lot of effort into enforcing the DSA, so that it will not be "a dead letter".[70]
In June 2022, Politico reported that Haugen plans to establish a non-profit organization called "Beyond the Screen" to enhance awareness of the harms of social media.[71] The new organization will focus on litigation and investor-based strategies in order to provide legal and economic incentives for mitigating harms.[71]
In October 2022, Haugen joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project launched by Issue One to address the negative mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in the United States co-chaired by former House Democratic Caucus Leader Dick Gephardt and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.[72][73]
Memoir: The Power of One
In December 2021,
Personal life
In 2011, Haugen was diagnosed with
Haugen has Norwegian ancestry and was awarded an America-Norway Heritage Award from the Norway-America Association in 2022 for her work as a whistleblower.[77]
See also
- Chris Hughes
- Christopher Wylie – data consultant who prompted the 2018 Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal
- Criticism of Facebook
- Sean Parker
- Sophie Zhang (whistleblower) – former Facebook data analyst and whistleblower
References
- ^ a b c Mac, Ryan (October 5, 2021). "Who is Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistle-blower?". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- France24. AFP. May 10, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Krejci, Cleo; Cress, Joseph (October 6, 2021). "Long before becoming the 'Facebook whistleblower,' Frances Haugen was a curious student in Iowa City". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Facebook manager Frances Haugen, an Iowa City native, alleges social network fed Capitol riot". The Gazette. Associated Press. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c Milmo, Dan (October 4, 2021). "How losing a friend to misinformation drove Facebook whistleblower". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c DeWitte, Dave (August 17, 2011). "Iowa City native Frances Haugen credits grade school enrichment program for success". The Gazette. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "Alumni Create Angel Investment Group to Fund Olin Grads' Startups | Olin College of Engineering". www.olin.edu. December 11, 2017. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pelley, Scott (October 4, 2021). "Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation". CBS News. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c Taliesin, Julia (October 4, 2021). "3 things to know about Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen". Boston.com. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ US Active US8825644B1, "Daniel M. Crichton, Frances B. Haugen" & Haugen, ""Adjusting a ranking of search results"", published 2014-09-02, issued 2014-09-02, assigned to "Google LLC"
- ^ Feiner, Lauren (October 3, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower reveals identity, accuses the platform of a 'betrayal of democracy'". NBC News. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Zakrzewski, Cat; Albergotti, Reed (October 11, 2021). "The education of Frances Haugen: How the Facebook whistleblower learned to use data as a weapon from years in tech". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security (October 4, 2021). "Statement of Frances Haugen".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ongweso Jr., Edward (October 5, 2021). "Facebook Can't Be Saved". Vice. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c Noreen Malone (November 16, 2021). "Unfriended: Frances Haugen on Her Facebook Testimony and What Comes Next". Vogue. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c Mac, Ryan; Kang, Cecilia (October 5, 2021). "Whistle-Blower Says Facebook 'Chooses Profits Over Safety'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ Kang, Cecilia (October 5, 2021). "How did we get here?". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Facebook Files: A Wall Street Journal Investigation". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Kang, Cecilia (October 4, 2021). "Facebook Grilled by Senators Over Its Effect on Children". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Paul, Kari; Milmo, Dan (October 4, 2021). "Facebook putting profit before public good, says whistleblower Frances Haugen". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Rodriguez, Salvador (October 4, 2021). "Facebook shares drop nearly 5% after major site outage and whistleblower interview". CNBC. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ O'Connell, Oliver (October 5, 2021). "Facebook stock nosedive costs Zuckerberg $6bn as whistleblower interview and service outage rattle investors". The Independent. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Birnbaum, Emily (October 20, 2021). "The Tech Billionaire Aiding the Facebook-Whistleblower". Politico.
- ^ Milmo, Dan (October 5, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Hannah; Lee, Dave (October 4, 2021). "Whistleblower accuses Facebook of misleading public and investors". Financial Times. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^ Timberg, Craig; Dwoskin, Elizabeth; Albergotti, Reed (October 22, 2021). "Inside Facebook, Jan. 6 violence fueled anger, regret over missed warning signs". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Mac, Ryan; Frenkel, Sheera (October 22, 2021). "Internal Alarm, Public Shrugs: Facebook's Employees Dissect Its Election Role". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Frenkel, Sheera; Alba, Davey (October 23, 2021). "In India, Facebook Grapples With an Amplified Version of Its Problems". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Zakrzewski, Cat; De Vynck, Gerrit; Masih, Niha; Mahtani, Shibani (October 24, 2021). "How Facebook neglected the rest of the world, fueling hate speech and violence in India". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "RSS groups, pages promote anti-Muslim narratives: Facebook whistleblower". The News Minute. October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Scroll Staff (October 6, 2021). "Facebook aware of anti-Muslim content in India, but took little action, alleges whistleblower". Scroll.in. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "RSS, West Bengal and Duplicate Accounts: What the Facebook Whistleblower Complaint Touches Upon". The Wire. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Quint, The (October 8, 2021). "Facebook Lacked Tools To Flag RSS-Linked Hate Speech in India: Whistleblower". TheQuint. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Dwoskin, Elizabeth; Newmyer, Tory; Mahtani, Shibani (October 25, 2021). "The case against Mark Zuckerberg: Insiders say Facebook's CEO chose growth over safety". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Zakrzewski, Cat (February 19, 2022). "Facebook whistleblower alleges executives misled investors about climate, covid hoaxes in new SEC complaint". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "In their own words: 'Facebook's products harm children, stoke division, weaken our democracy.'". The New York Times. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Lima, Cristiano (October 5, 2021). "Whistleblower hearing draws massive turnout from senators". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Smith, David (October 5, 2021). "'Moral bankruptcy': whistleblower offers scathing assessment of Facebook". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "Statement of Frances Haugen October 4, 2021". Whistleblower Aid. The Washington Post. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Milmo, Dan (October 10, 2021). "Frances Haugen takes on Facebook: the making of a modern US hero". The Guardian. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Levine, Alexandra S.; Rafford, Claire; Arciga, Julia; Birnbaum, Emily (October 5, 2021). "Whistleblower to Senate: Don't trust Facebook". Politico. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Akinwotu, Emmanuel (October 7, 2021). "Facebook's role in Myanmar and Ethiopia under new scrutiny". The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Frenkel, Sheera (October 5, 2021). "Key takeaways from Facebook's whistle-blower hearing". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ "Whistle-Blower Unites Democrats and Republicans in Calling for Regulation of Facebook". The New York Times. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Mac, Ryan (October 5, 2021). "Senators applaud their witness in Facebook hearing". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Zakrzewski, Cat (October 6, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower's revelations could usher in tech's 'Big Tobacco moment,' lawmakers say". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ Paul, Kari (October 6, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower's testimony could finally spark action in Congress". The Guardian. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Levine, Alexandra S. (October 5, 2021). "What Congress learned from the Facebook whistleblower". Politico. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Zakrzewski, Cat (October 15, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower eyes state AGs, expanding regulatory threat beyond Washington". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Telford, Taylor; Gregg, Aaron (November 16, 2021). "Ohio attorney general sues Meta over Facebook Papers revelations". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Zakrzewski, Cat (November 18, 2021). "Coalition of state attorneys general opens investigation into Instagram's impact on children and teens". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ Lima, Cristiano (October 6, 2021). "'More to come' from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, her lawyer says". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Lima, Cristiano (October 8, 2021). "Facebook's biggest critics say whistleblower's ideas for regulating the tech giant aren't enough". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Facebook's Oversight Board will meet with the Facebook whistleblower". TechCrunch. October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Birnbaum, Emily; Nylen, Leah (October 21, 2021). "House antitrust leaders meet with Facebook whistleblower". Politico. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ Satariano, Adam (October 25, 2021). "Frances Haugen likens Facebook to an 'oil spill' as she testifies to Parliament". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Waterson, Jim; Milmo, Dan (October 25, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen calls for urgent external regulation". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Goujard, Clothilde (October 11, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower to be invited to EU Parliament". Politico Europe. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Frances Haugen to MEPs: EU digital rules can be a game changer for the world". European Parliament. November 8, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Zakrzewski, Cat; Stein, Perry (November 8, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower hearing shows European policymakers are ahead of the U.S. in regulating Big Tech". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Kayali, Laura; Goujard, Clothilde (November 8, 2021). "5 takeaways from Facebook whistleblower's EU Parliament testimony". Politico Europe. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (November 9, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks to EU parliament". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Discussion with Frances Haugen on the global impact of the Digital Services Act". European Parliament. May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Pollet, Mathieu (May 18, 2022). "Facebook whistleblower calls on MEPs to make sure DSA won't be 'dead letter'". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ a b "Digital Bridge: Frances Haugen's next move — Federal privacy dance — Transatlantic AI". POLITICO. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ Feiner, Lauren (October 12, 2022). "Facebook whistleblower, former defense and intel officials form group to fix social media". CNBC. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Council for Responsible Social Media – Issue One". issueone.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Italie, Hillel (December 16, 2021). "Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has book deal". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "Frances Haugen's memoir details life junctures that led to Facebook whistleblower moment". Boise State Public Radio. NPR. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ McLean, Bethany (June 9, 2023). "Review | Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen warns of algorithmic dangers". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ "Verdenskjent Facebook-varsler avslører sine minner om Norge og nordmenn". March 30, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Frances Haugen at IMDb
- Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, October 5, 2021)
- Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Talking about Facebook Papers December 10, 2021, ZDF Magazin Royale