Facebook says whistleblower's criticism 'illogical'

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The Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has defended his company from accusations that it puts profits before user safety -- after a former employee turned whistleblower gave damning testimony to a US senate committee. In a blog post, Mr Zuckerberg said the argument that Facebook deliberately pushed content that made people angry was illogical. The whistleblower, Frances Haugen, said Facebook executives knew their content could harm children and weaken democracy but the company would not reform itself. Senators have said they will push for greater regulation as Newsday heard from technology reporter Takara Small. “I think greater regulation is coming in America and once it starts there it will spread. The conversation has shifted from content moderation to how algorithms are manipulating our data. “She (Frances Haugen) explained how it incentivised the general user to post anything at anytime even if it is violent or discriminatory – as long as there is someone clicking on it, sharing it, forwarding it – that, to Facebook, equals profit.” (Pic: Frances Haugen; Credit: EPA)