In this record illustration photograph taken successful August 2021, the Facebook logo is seen connected a smartphone successful beforehand of a machine surface successful Los Angeles.
Facebook held backmost from doing each it could to halt users from being radicalized and US predetermination misinformation from flooding the societal network, according to media reports Friday.
An array of US quality outlets cited documents from erstwhile Facebook idiosyncratic Frances Haugen, adding to a bid of captious revelations already published based connected accusation she provided.
Articles successful the New York Times, Washington Post and elsewhere connected Friday focused connected however Facebook seemingly intensified governmental division.
Examples included an interior uncovering that 10 percent of governmental contented viewed by US users successful the days aft the election perpetuated the falsehood that the ballot had been rigged.
What has travel to beryllium known arsenic the "Big Lie" has been repeated relentlessly by erstwhile President Donald Trump and enraged his supporters, who stormed the US Capital successful a deadly onslaught connected January 6.
Facebook, Twitter, and different social media platforms banned Trump from their platforms for encouraging the convulsive effort to thwart the antiauthoritarian process.
Revelations published Friday indicated that Facebook could person anticipated specified trouble.
'Carol's journey'
The accusation was reportedly recovered successful the thousands of interior documents Haugen provided to regulators astatine the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Haugen told US lawmakers aboriginal this period that the social media elephantine fuels division, harms children and urgently needs to beryllium regulated, drafting pledges Congress would instrumentality up long-delayed action.
The grounds by Haugen has fueled 1 of Facebook's astir superior crises yet, and prompted a denial from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who said successful a station connected his relationship that her assertion the institution prioritizes nett implicit information was "just not true."
A communal taxable successful revelations is that Facebook knew astir problems hurting users and nine but chose, successful ample part, to disregard them.
Articles Friday referred to a study compiled by Facebook's ain interior researchers titled "Carol's Journey to QAnon."
Facebook's information squad successful 2019 reportedly created a fake relationship for a "conservative parent from North Carolina" fixed the illustration sanction Carol Smith.
The societal web bundle rapidly offered Smith a "barrage of extreme, conspiratorial and graphic content" including from the QAnon question known for unfounded conspiracy theories, according to the researchers.
Defense
Faced with the mounting criticism, Facebook connected Friday elaborate anew steps it has taken to support the predetermination and support the societal web safe.
"Our broad strategy to support the US 2020 elections began years earlier the predetermination rhythm adjacent began and was designed to past done the inauguration," Facebook vice president of integrity Guy Rosen said successful a blog post.
"Responsibility for the insurrection itself falls squarely connected the insurrectionists who broke the instrumentality and those who incited them."
Facebook's tenacious efforts to fend disconnected critics is not apt to appease elected officials openly calling for enactment against the tech giant.
More revelations from leaked documents look successful store, and a erstwhile subordinate of Facebook's integrity squad emerged Friday arsenic different whistleblower.
The erstwhile worker reportedly told US regulators that Facebook dismissed contention implicit Russian meddling successful the 2016 statesmanlike predetermination arsenic a "flash successful the pan" and that managers undermined efforts to combat disinformation for fearfulness of angering Trump oregon his fans.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: Rising tide of leaks threatens to inundate Facebook (2021, October 23) retrieved 23 October 2021 from https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-tide-leaks-threatens-inundate-facebook.html
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