Under fire from critics, Facebook responds to the attacks through the voice of its co-founder and boss of the group.
Mark Zuckerberg defended his company against accusations from a whistleblower, who told the US Congress that the social media giant was prioritizing its profits over security.
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“At the heart of these accusations is the idea that we prioritize profits over safety and well-being.
It's just not true, ”Zuckerberg said in a lengthy post on his Facebook page.
I wanted to share a note I wrote to everyone at our company .--- Hey everyone: it's been quite a week, and I wanted to ...
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, October 5, 2021
"A catalyst", that's how an elected representative described the whistleblower Frances Haugen, whose presentation on Tuesday tarnished the image of Facebook to the point of pushing Congress to promise to better regulate the Californian giant.
Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen attends a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing entitled 'Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower' on Capitol Hill, in Washington, US, October 5, 2021. Matt McClain / Pool via REUTERS The Washington Post
“Moral bankruptcy”, “spiral”, the 37-year-old computer engineer described, with calm and precision, the situation of a company which, according to her, gave up some moral principles in the name of profit.
“You have been a catalyst for change like I have never seen before and I have been working on these subjects for 10 or 15 years,” commented Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal during his hearing by the Senate Trade Committee.
Three days ago, this thirty-something was unknown, a computer scientist among others, with a successful career but far from the ruling circles of Facebook.
Today, her face has been around the world and she embodies, at least for a few days, the rebellion against the omnipotence of the tech giants.
"I know that Facebook has the resources and potentially the motivation to ruin my existence, but I accept it because I know that I am in line with my values and what I believe in," said this Harvard graduate in a video uploaded Sunday.
