Last week, The Wall Street Journal published a jaw-dropping five-part investigation showing how Facebook ignores or deflects reports relating to flaws in its platform “that cause harm.” The series is largely based on internal documents and shows that the company often discounts problems that its own employees discover.
Facebook employees had previously flagged comments made on posts as a largely unaddressed problem, according to a former employee and the documents reviewed by the Journal. Research in 2018 and 2019 found that comments were what one memo described as “an important source of misinformation, even on seemingly innocuous articles.”
“Misinformation, toxicity, and violent content are inordinately prevalent among reshares,” according to an internal memo. According to the WJS, a whistleblower has turned over some documents to Congress and the Security and Exchange Commission.
- How Facebook Hobbled Mark Zuckerberg’s Bid to Get America Vaccinated, 17 September
- Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers. The Company’s Response Is Weak, Documents Show, 16 September
- Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. It Got Angrier Instead, 15 September
- Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show, 14 September
- Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That’s Exempt, 13 September
Remember when Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel and Donald Trump had a secret dinner?
BREAKING: In a secret 2019 meeting, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly struck an agreement with Jared Kushner that Facebook would not fact-check political speech during the 2020 election — in exchange, the Trump administration would avoid significantly regulating Facebook. (per @chafkin)
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) September 20, 2021
Although Facebook may be the tech firm that news media love to hate, it’s remarkable whenever the Rupert Murdoch-owned WSJ takes any business to task.
How to read the WSJ for free (other than using your local library’s eservices).
Excerpt from Kathy Gill’s Memo from a News Hound, 20 September 2021, From Facebook to the Secret Service, a WTH edition.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com