First reported by CBS News, the Facebook whistleblower, former data scientist and product manager Frances Haugen, has filed a series of disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleging that the company has made a range of “material misrepresentations and omissions” in its statements to investors on issues ranging from its role in stoking political divisions to its products’ effects on teen mental health to its role in human trafficking and slavery.
Here is a combined version of the disclosures, filed by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit that represents individuals such as Haugen.
Combined-Facebook-Whistleblower-SEC-Disclosures-1Haugen is set to appear before the Senate today. Her opening testimony says the company’s products “harm children, stoke division, weaken our democracy and much more. The company’s leadership knows ways to make Facebook and Instagram safer and won’t make the necessary changes because they have put their immense profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They cannot solve this crisis without your help.”
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Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a new nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. Previously, he was Executive Director of NYC Media Lab. He spent over a decade at The Economist in roles including Vice President, Business Development & Innovation. He is an associate research scientist and adjunct professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Opinions expressed here are his own.
