StoryThe revelations allowed by the leak of internal Facebook documents have sparked a storm of criticism against the world’s leading social network. Chronology of an unprecedented crisis.
“Facebook says its rules apply to everyone. Internal company documents show that a secret elite is exempt. “ September 13, Wall Street Journal publishes the first article in a series which will shake the social network very hard. He details how a Facebook program called “XCheck” has been diverted from its original purpose to give celebrities a form of privilege against its own moderation. The article is the starting point of a disastrous political and media sequence for the social network, which continues, this Monday, November 8, with the hearing of the whistleblower Frances Haugen in front of the European Parliament, then, two days later, before the National Assembly and the French Senate.
The “Facebook Files”, a dive into the workings of the “likes” machine
The “Facebook Files” are several hundred internal Facebook documents copied by Frances Haugen, a specialist in algorithms, when she was an employee of the social network. They were provided to the US regulator and Congress, then transmitted by a US parliamentary source to several media, redacted from the personal information of Facebook employees. In Europe, these media are, besides The world, the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the WDR and NDR television channels, the Tamedia Group, Knack, Berlingske and OCCRP.
They show that Facebook is devoting more resources to limiting its damaging effects in the West, to the detriment of the rest of the world. They attest that these effects are known internally but the warning signs are not always taken into account. Finally, they prove that Facebook’s algorithms have become so complex that they sometimes seem to escape their own authors. Find all our articles by clicking here.
The conflagration
In mid-September, at the time of the revelations of Wall Street Journal, the face of this former employee is not yet known. We simply know that the economic daily has obtained a mass of internal documents embarrassing the largest social network in the world. Articles are published on a daily basis. Investigation reveals for example that the company, who conducted internal studies, was aware of some negative effects of Instagram – owned by Facebook – on the mental health and well-being of users. The studies cited show in particular that the social network aggravates the discomfort of some teenage girls. Later, another article unveils how Facebook has been used by human traffickers, while highlighting the weaknesses of its moderation tools.
Reactions are raining down and criticism is piling up. On September 26, Facebook denies, in a long message, the revelations of Wall Street Journal on Instagram and the unhappiness of some of its users. The next day, however, the company announces ” pause ” the launch of his controversial Instagram Kids project, a version of the social network for under 13s.
But the storm does not abate and Facebook finds itself forced to respond to US lawmakers, an exercise now familiar to its executives. On September 30, Antigone Davis, the company’s head of security, was called in to answer questions from US senators on the trade committee. The hearing turns to disaster for her; while the elected officials multiply the specific questions, Mr.me Davis responds very vaguely.
Frances Haugen reveals herself
Two weeks after the first revelations of the Wall Street Journal, the “Facebook whistleblower”, which transmitted internal documents to the American daily, is coming out of secrecy. Sunday October 3, Frances Haugen, 37, appears for the first time with her face uncovered in the famous program “60 Minutes” of the CBS television channel. She explains her motivations – the frustration of seeing Facebook act too little or too slowly on multiple subjects – and announces that she has filed a series of complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the regulator of the American Stock Exchange. . These complaints allow her to apply for official whistleblower status, which is supposed to provide her with some legal protection against Facebook lawsuits.
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