Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook Papers: Company takes heat from lawmakers over leaked docs

Facebook Papers: Company takes heat from lawmakers over leaked docs

Facebook Papers leak leads to harsh criticism of tech giant
Several lawmakers shared their reactions to the Facebook Papers – a trove of leaked documents revealing the company's inner workings – and cited them as proof that the tech giant has become unaccountable.

Republicans and Democrats have spoken out on the recent revelations regarding Facebook, with lawmakers in both the House and Senate blasting the social media giant over the leaked internal documents.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., blasted Facebook for discriminating against "conservative news sources," telling FOX Business in a Monday email the company is doing so to give a smoke screen to Democrat politicians.

"Facebook discriminates against conservative news sources, not because of policy violations, but because Facebook wants to protect Democratic politicians," Cotton said. "If Facebook is going to act as an arm of the Democratic Party, we’ll treat them like one."

Reports on the whistleblower content have illustrated issues at the market behemoth, such as the adverse, impactful effect Instagram reportedly has on the psyche of teenage girls.

"The huge document dump about Facebook reveals that the company is beset with problem after problem, yet it still brings in $100 billion a year. No company can bring in that kind of money with those kinds of problems unless it’s a monopoly. It’s time that Congress take seriously the need to break up Big Tech," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told FOX Business.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., also took Facebook to task over the reports, telling FOX Business that the tech giant has "proven themselves cavalier" in their operations and called for them to be broken up.

"Facebook has repeatedly proven themselves cavalier with their operating practices and procedures, from its censorship of conservatives to its internal suppression of harms caused by the platform," Cawthorn said. "It's time to break up big tech and break the hold they have over the American people. They've gone unchecked for far too long."

Former company product manager Frances Haugen ignited the Facebook firestorm earlier this month when she blew the whistle on the tech giant's alleged exploitation of users to increase their bottom line.

One document shared and reviewed by FOX Business and a media consortium of 16 other U.S. news outlets suggests that employees raised concerns in 2018 that the company was exploiting its users.

"It's not a secret we've often resorted to aggressive tactics in the name of growth and we've been pretty unapologetic about it," an unidentified Facebook employee wrote in an internal group known as "Let's Fix Facebook."

"Many employees have called out these tactics as hostile and disrespectful to our users, and the response has generally been, that our care metrics weren't moved [in other words we could get away with them]. Today, the light has changed and all these tactics are being subject to the highest level of scrutiny fueling the narrative that Facebook seeks profits by exploiting its users."

The trove of documents from Haugen was given to media outlets through a congressional source and the documents are partially redacted. Some of the documents included have been previously reported on by The Wall Street Journal, which has published its own series of reports, dubbed the Facebook Files.

Drew Pusateri, a spokesperson for Facebook, told Fox Business in a Monday email that the company has been pushing for updated Internet regulations, themselves.

"For two and a half years we have been calling for updated regulations ourselves," Pusateri said. "Every day, we make difficult decisions on where to draw lines between free expression and harmful speech, privacy, security, and other issues, and we use both our own research and research from outside experts to improve our products and policies."

"But we should not be making these decisions on our own which is why for years we’ve been advocating for updated regulations where democratic governments set industry standards to which we can all adhere," he continued.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
×