Budapest Post

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

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen 'cautiously optimistic' about Elon Musk Twitter acquisition

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen 'cautiously optimistic' about Elon Musk Twitter acquisition

Musk has expressed interest in open sourcing Twitter's algorithm, vowed to crack down on spam bots

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is "cautiously optimistic" that Elon Musk's $44 billion deal to take Twitter private at $54.20 per share could lead to positive change for democracy and safety on the social media platform.


Haugen made headlines last year after accusing her former employer of prioritizing profits over user safety in press interviews and testimony to Congress and sharing thousands of internal Facebook documents on topics ranging from Instagram's impact on teens to hate speech and misinformation on its platforms.

"I've maintained since my first testimony that I think a lot of the problems that we're facing on social media are a result of a business model," Haugen tells FOX Business.

She argues that Facebook struggles to address its issues because CEO Mark Zuckerberg has "surrounded himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear."

In comparison, she believes Musk is an independent thinker who can take hard feedback and has a data-driven perspective that could lead to meaningful product safety and design changes.

Haugen argues that Facebook struggles to address its issues because CEO Mark Zuckerberg has "surrounded himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear." 


"I have a feeling that Facebook is going to rationalize to itself that it can't really do anything different than it already does because of the demands of the market," Haugen says. "I think there's a huge opportunity here for Elon to really demonstrate that there's another way forward."

Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist", has expressed interest in open sourcing Twitter's algorithm to increase transparency on the platform. Haugen says that opening the up the platform's algorithm to researchers and academics will ultimately foster more trust in Twitter.

"One of the key parts about a system as critical as Twitter for our democratic processes is whether or not people trust that the system is fair. And right now, I would say that trust in Twitter is a little bit in flux," Haugen emphasizes. "The number one most important thing [Elon] can do is institute real transparency. Transparency is how he's going to go to prove that he's acting in ways that are aligned with the public good and it’s how he's going to build trust in his ability to run the system."

Musk has also vowed to crack down on Twitter's spam bots.

"That kind of action is potentially dangerous when you have a publicly traded company because the number of users you have will go down," Haugen notes. "That's a good sign Elon is going to be wanting to do those kinds of structural changes that Twitter may have not been as brave to do when they had to have their hands tied by making sure the number of users they had went up every single quarter."


Musk's deal for Twitter is expected to close in 2022, subject to the approval of its stockholders, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Haugen's comments come as Facebook has shifted its focus on building the metaverse, a computer-generated environment where users will be able to work and interact with one another in virtual reality. She says the metaverse is an attempt to avoid taking responsibility for the problems on Facebook and Instagram.


"When [Mark Zuckerberg] announced the metaverse, they spent five minutes making empty platitudes about safety by design," Haugen says."We should be like, "Hey, publish your safety by design plan." Don't tell us, show us, because I think they're going to reproduce all the challenges they face on Facebook only with a platform that's more immersive and more decentralized."

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
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
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
×