WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The former employee who exposed harmful tactics within Facebook will testify before Congress Tuesday.
Frances Haugen, 37, is the whistleblower who leaked internal data that apparently shows the tech giant puts profits over the wellbeing of people as well as promotes division. She accuses that the platform knew for years of the site’s harmful effects on young teens and promotion of hateful content online.
“If they change the algorithm to be safer, they will make less money,” Haugen said during an exclusive interview with “60 Minutes.”
Haugen will be testifying to the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection Tuesday. Haugen is demanding more federal oversight over the platform which she says can not be trusted to regulate itself.
This will be the second hearing on the topic. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are outraged over the new revelations and many are eager to act.
“We are going to pressure them,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. “We will see what else we can achieve with them.”
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill say it’s time the government steps in to hold Facebook accountable.
“We clearly need regulation,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Joe Biden also supports reforms.
Facebook remains on the defense.
While testifying before senators last week, Facebook’s head of global safety Antigone Davis downplayed internal findings that showed Instagram — which is owned by Facebook — promoted addiction and low self-esteem among teens.
The platform also announced it will delay the launch of a version of Instagram designed for children under 13.
Right now, lawmakers have put out several proposals to reign in on how the social media platform promotes certain content. Others say they are wary of going overboard and don’t want to stifle innovation.