Ex-Facebook employee asks lawmakers to step in. Will they?

Camera lights glare. Outrage thunders from elected representatives. A brave manufacture whistleblower stands unsocial and takes the oath down a array ringed by a photographers' mosh pit.

The erstwhile Facebook merchandise manager who has accused the societal web elephantine of threatening children's safety—and the integrity of democracy—is urging Congress to instrumentality enactment to rein successful a mostly unregulated company. The play rings familiar, but volition existent alteration travel retired of it this time?

When Frances Haugen came earlier a Senate Commerce sheet to laic retired a far-reaching condemnation of Facebook, she had prescriptions for actions by Congress astatine the ready. Not a breakup of the tech elephantine arsenic galore lawmakers are calling for, but targeted legislative remedies.

They see caller curbs connected the long-standing ineligible protections for code posted connected social media platforms. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers person called for stripping distant immoderate of the protections granted by a 25-year-old law—generally known arsenic "Section 230"—that shields net companies from liability for what users post.

Haugen's thought would beryllium to region the protections successful cases wherever ascendant contented driven by machine algorithms favors monolithic engagement by users implicit public safety.

"Congressional enactment is needed," Haugen told the senators successful her grounds Tuesday. "(Facebook) won't lick this situation without your help."

Democrats and Republicans person shown a uncommon unity astir the revelations of Facebook's handling of imaginable risks to teens from Instagram, and a bipartisan propulsion toward meaningful authorities appears to beryllium stirring.

"We're going to suggest legislation," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who heads the Senate subcommittee, told reporters. "And the days of Facebook evading oversight are over, due to the fact that I deliberation the American nationalist is aroused astir the value of ... (social media) preying connected their ain children."

So it's connected the way, right? Not quite. This is inactive Congress.

"I deliberation it volition yet effect successful legislation, but it won't beryllium close away," said erstwhile legislature adjutant Phil Schiliro.

Schiliro was there. He fought the legislature Big Tobacco wars successful the 1990s arsenic main of unit to Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who headed the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congress enacted landmark authorities reining successful the baccy manufacture by giving the Food and Drug Administration authorization to modulate the manufacture, organisation and selling of baccy products. In the existent Facebook scandal, critics of the institution are pointing to it arsenic a exemplary for what Congress should bash with the tech industry.

History, however, offers a cautionary note. In 1994, 7 baccy institution executives gave electrifying grounds nether oath earlier Waxman's committee that they didn't judge nicotine was addictive—assertions contradicted by interior documents from their companies. Still, Schiliro notes, baccy authorities took different 15 years to get done Congress.

During that time, "public sentiment truly started to shift" toward a antagonistic presumption of the tobacco industry, says Schiliro, who besides worked successful the Obama White House and is present a elder statesmanlike chap astatine Hofstra University. The nationalist isn't determination yet with Big Tech, helium suggested, and tech companies inactive marque the statement that they bring products to millions of radical that amended their lives—mostly for free.

That dynamic could beryllium changing with Haugen's revelations of interior institution probe indicating imaginable harm for immoderate young users, particularly girls, of Facebook's Instagram photo-sharing platform. For immoderate of the teen users, the adjacent unit generated by Instagram led to intelligence wellness and body-image problems, and successful immoderate cases, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, the probe leaked by Haugen showed.

"Whenever you person Republicans and Democrats connected the aforesaid page, you're astir apt much apt to spot something," said Gautam Hans, a exertion instrumentality and free-speech adept astatine Vanderbilt University. "Protecting children is thing that galore radical hold with, and I deliberation it's easier to find statement there."

Given the intimately divided Congress and heavy governmental polarization, prospects for authorities to guarantee information connected societal media platforms whitethorn look arsenic far-off arsenic with the baccy legislation. Still, lawmakers from the 2 parties are rallying astir the extortion of young net users. Their shared strident disapproval of societal media has travel from divergent governmental views. Republicans person decried what they spot arsenic anti-conservative bias portion Democrats denounce hatred code and incitement to violence.

"I deliberation Congress was heading determination and this adds momentum," said Matt Stoller, probe manager astatine the American Economic Liberties Project, an enactment that advocates for authorities enactment against concern concentration. "We're inactive a fewer years disconnected truly neutralizing the powerfulness of Big Tech."

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