Professionalism/Frances Haugen and Facebook

Introduction Frances Haugen is a Facebook whistleblower where she disclosed tens of thousands of Facebook's internal documents that exposed how Facebook was aware of the harm its platform caused. Background Early Life Frances Haugen was born in Iowa City, Iowa.Frances Haugen https://www.franceshaugen.com/ 2023-05-03 Frances Haugen en-US She grew up attending the Iowa caucuses with her parents, which instilled in her a strong sense of pride in democracy and responsibility for civic participation. Every since a young child, Haugen was engaged in civil affairs in her city. At age 8, she expressed concerns about plans to widen a neighborhood road that she wrote to U.S. Rep Jim Leach that read: "Please don't let them turn Melrose Avenue into a four-lane road. I couldn't walk home from school because I have to cross Melrose. Sincerely yours Frances Haugen."Cress Cleo Krejci and Joseph Long before becoming the 'Facebook whistleblower,' Frances Haugen was a curious student in Iowa City https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2021/10/05/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-had-studious-iowa-city-childhood-instagram/6004128001/ 2023-05-03 Iowa City Press-Citizen en-US As her academic interests expanded, Frances Haugen was often featured in her local newspaper in her hometown. News clippings from Iowa City Press-Citizen archives show she loved geography and participated in debate and engineering competitions. During an interview in sixth grade, Haugen expressed her aspirations of becoming a biologist with the goal of feeding the world, or a lawyer with a desire to become a politician. This early display of civic-mindedness foreshadowed Haugen's later commitment to public safety and corporate accountability. Early Education and Career After completing her high school education, she went on to study Electrical and Computer Engineering at Olin College. Later, she pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard University. After receiving her MBA, Haugen initially was hired by Google as a Software Engineer but later transitioned to a Product Manager.Iowa City native Frances Haugen credits grade school enrichment program for success https://www.thegazette.com/business/tech-rocket-i-c-native-credits-grade-school-enrichment-program-for-her-success/ 2023-05-03 www.thegazette.com en-US At Google, Haugen initially worked in the reporting functions of Google Ads. This experience helped her to learn better ways of communicating with numbers. She transitioned on to Google Book Search, helping launch book reader for mobile devices. Haugen also was involved with the settlement of class action litigation after Google was sued by publishers for its project to publish book content on the web. In 2015, she began work as a data product manager at Yelp and after a year, moved to Pinterest.3 things to know about Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2021/10/04/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-things-to-know/ 2023-05-03 www.boston.com en-US In 2019, Haugen joined Facebook, because someone close to her was radicalized online and she "felt compelled to take an active role in creating a better, less toxic Facebook. She expressed interest in a role related to misinformation, and so she became a product manager in the Facebook civic integrity team.Statement of Frances Haugen. (2021). https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/FC8A558E-824E-4914-BEDB-3A7B1190BD49 Whistleblowing Activity Background and 60 Minutes Interview At Facebook, Frances Haugen worked on the civic integrity team. When she was recruited to Facebook, she wanted to join a team that would stop the spread of misinformation.Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: The 60 Minutes Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lx5VmAdZSI 2023-04-27 en After the 2020 election, Facebook disbanded the team; this marked the beginning of the end for Haugen at Facebook. From November 2020 to April 2021, Haugen amassed tens of thousands of internal documents that she intended to use to whistleblow.Mac Ryan Kang Cecilia 2021-10-03 Whistle-Blower Says Facebook ‘Chooses Profits Over Safety’ en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/technology/whistle-blower-facebook-frances-haugen.html 2023-04-27 0362-4331 This is a prime example of sacrificing one’s career for one's profession. Haugen exited Facebook and spent the next several months organizing her documents and ensuring the information could get out to the public. She knew that once she put her face to the leak, she would close herself off from opportunities in her field. In September of 2021, she leaked the documents anonymously to the Wall Street Journal.Tracy John D. McKinnon and Ryan Facebook Whistleblower’s Testimony Builds Momentum for Tougher Tech Laws https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-set-to-appear-before-senate-panel-11633426201 2023-04-27 WSJ en-US In October, she went on 60 minutes to share her side of the story; and testified in front of Congress two days later. The interview went into her background, and highlighted the higher level issues in the documents. Facebook research shows it knows it is harming individuals and groups, and has taken minimal action.2021-10-01 The Facebook Files en-US Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039 2023-04-27 0099-9660 Haugen stated “Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety.” Congressional Hearing Haugen testified in front of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. In the congressional hearing she remarked, “As long as Facebook is operating in the shadows, hiding its research from public scrutiny, it is unaccountable. Until the incentives change, Facebook will not change.”Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before Senate Commerce Committee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOnpVQnv5Cw 2023-04-27 en A key takeaway was that Facebook knows solutions to spreading misinformation, and has tools that it can use. It can make it harder to share articles, but this would decrease engagement and profit.2021-10-05 Facebook whistleblower testifies: Five highlights https://apnews.com/article/facebook-frances-haugen-congress-testimony-af86188337d25b179153b973754b71a4 2023-04-27 AP NEWS en During the hearing, the ranking Republican member Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said she had “received a text from Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone pointing out that Haugen did not work on child safety or Instagram or research these issues and has no direct knowledge on the topic from her work at Facebook.” Facebook pushed this narrative to discredit Haugen, but it does not take away from the raw documentation of the company's actions. Facebook Response and Ethical Summary After the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg wrote Facebook is “committed to doing more research ourselves and making more research publicly available.”Glazer Emily Mark Zuckerberg Breaks Silence on Facebook Whistleblower Testimony, Media Reports https://www.wsj.com/articles/mark-zuckerberg-says-facebooks-work-mischaracterized-in-reports-whistleblower-testimony-11633482725 2023-04-27 WSJ en-US Facebook has not made these changes in the years since. It changed its name to Meta just weeks after Haugen’s testimony.2021-10-28 The Facebook Company Is Now Meta https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/ 2023-04-27 Meta en-US Reviewing Haugen’s actions, it is clear she took great risks at her own expense to publicize Facebook’s actions. There was bi-partisan uproar at what was revealed, that time and time again Facebook chose profit over the health and safety of its users. Haugen did what engineers at Boeing were not strong enough to do leading up to the 737 Max disasters. She put her profession above her career, helping the billions of Facebook users to at least be aware of its transgressions. Congress may move slowly to regulate, but the public is now more broadly aware, and Facebook is under a stronger microscope than ever. Aftermath Since the hearing, Haugen has shifted her career to focus on speaking engagements with the purpose of standing up for what she believes in. Even after her departure from Facebook, she continues to advocate against the company and claims that they have been “misleading the public and investors on how it handles issues such as climate change, misinformation, and hate speech, and the impact of its services on the mental health of children and young adults.” Facebook did not make explicit policy changes in the direct aftermath of Haugen’s testimony. In a blog post from September 2021, Facebook claimed that they employed 40,000 people working in safety and security and spent more than $13 billion since 2016 to that end.2021-09-21 Our Progress Addressing Challenges and Innovating Responsibly https://about.fb.com/news/2021/09/our-progress-addressing-challenges-and-innovating-responsibly/ 2023-05-08 Meta en-US Clearly, in Haugen’s opinion, this is still not enough to create a safe and responsible Facebook because these changes were being implemented before and during her coming forward. In a conference with Vox almost a year after her testimony she maintains that Facebook hasn’t learned their lesson yet, saying, “They haven’t yet admitted that the way they were doing business is what caused their problems.”Morrison Sara 2022-09-06 Meta hasn’t "really learned the right lesson," whistleblower Frances Haugen says https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/9/6/23333517/frances-haugen-code-meta-facebook-whistleblower 2023-05-08 Vox en In the same conference, she lamented the amount of control that Mark Zuckerberg has over the company, saying she wishes that the Securities and Exchange Commission would force him to sell some of his shares. Media Controversy In the aftermath of Haugen’s testimony, the media was overtaken with controversial opinions surrounding what Facebook was doing and what her revelations meant for our country. Many on the left championed her as a defender of those hurt by social media.2021-10-25 Frances Haugen says Facebook is 'making hate worse' en-GB BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59038506 2023-05-08Filipovic Jill 2021-10-06 Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen confirms our worst fears https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/opinions/facebook-frances-haugen-congress-hearing-filipovic/index.html 2023-05-08 CNN en Others on the right condemned her as a censor and a violator of American free speech principles.Facebook Whistleblower Is Leftist Activist Repped By Lawyer For ‘Whistleblower’ Behind Trump Impeachment https://www.dailywire.com/news/facebook-whistleblower-leftist-activist-lawyer-ukraine-impeachment 2023-05-08 The Daily Wire en Although this made for entertaining media coverage and most likely drove up ratings, it was almost certainly more reductive than helpful. When the media seeks to get the public emotional about one specific person or event along political lines, it is usually the case that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and this case is no different. One universal concern was Instagram’s impact on the mental health of young people. An internal study brought to light in the leak linked Instagram to suicidality in teens.Seetharaman Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Deepa 2021-09-14 Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show en-US Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739 2023-05-08 0099-9660 These statistics are extreme and the company causing the issue is only paying lip service to a solution. Facebook is a profit-seeking entity and a major company in the United States, so it can be difficult to find a way to shield oneself from the negative effects they cause. At a certain point, the cost-benefit analysis stops going in their favor for families who have been impacted negatively by their products. There is inevitably a natural tipping point where parents will get their children off of these sites. This isn’t to say that Facebook and social media are inherently bad, but they need to consider the safety of users on their platform, especially children.