Senator Marsha Blackburn, a GOP lawmaker from Tenessee, endorsed the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former employee of the social media giant who came forward to reveal shocking allegations against Facebook.
Facebook prioritizes profit over well being of its users
After the whistleblower surfaced in front of Congress, Marsha Blackburn claimed Facebook is prioritizing monetary profit over the well-being of its users, especially children.
Blackburn asked the whistleblower if she could confirm whether or not Facebook employs psychologists to deal with the mental health issues of children. Responding to this, Haugen claimed the platform does hire psychologist degree holders, but she could not confirm if they were hired to treat children’s mental health.
The claims of Fauces Haugen have served the purpose of destroying the reputation of Facebook. Andy Stone, the Policy Communications Director at Facebook, commented on Haugen’s remarks.
Stone said the whistleblower had no knowledge about the insights of Facebook; then, Marsha Blackburn invited Facebook officials to come and testify in front of the congressional committee.
Know the facts, read the signs. pic.twitter.com/At4RcUhan6
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 5, 2021
The whistleblower shattered the public reputation of Facebook and its associated companies with her testimony. She claimed Instagram, a Facebook-owned platform, is detrimental to the mental health of teen girls.
The former Facebook employee likewise stated the company has everything to make their platforms safe; however, they do not employ these tactics because they love profit more than their users.
Similarly, she also urged Congress to intervene in the matter, asking them to solve this crisis or the world would continue suffering from this danger. Haugen testified lawmakers take action when they see tobacco companies manufacturing harmful products.
They legislate when they observe cars are safer with seatbelts, so Congress should do the same in this case as well, as it is an equally important matter.
Facebook Denies Whistleblower Testimony
When Facebook went down globally, along with WhatsApp and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg responded to the testimony of the whistleblower. He said the overall comments of the lady painted a false image of the company.
However, he encouraged Congress to make the platform a safe place for people of all ages through its legislative power. The outrage against the social media giant was bipartisan and Democrat senators equally criticized the company for its harmful practices.
Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat senator, appreciated Haugen for standing up against one of the largest corporate giants.
Facebook “is literally fanning ethnic violence” in countries like Ethiopia and Myanmar, according to a whistleblower. https://t.co/helpsFVnvQ
— Adam Levin (@Adam_K_Levin) October 6, 2021
When Haugen was asked if Facebook provides feasible ground to authoritarian or terrorist regimes, she testified the social media company does pave the field for these leaders and is aware of it as well.
This testimony against the social media giant has raised eyebrows of national security agencies. Time and time again, Facebook came under congressional scrutiny, as the calls for reforming Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act have also surfaced in the past.
