Internal Facebook documents detail how misinformation spreads to users
CBSN
Ahead of the 2020 election, Facebook implemented safeguards to protect against the spread of misinformation by prioritizing safety over growth and engagement. It rolled back those defenses after the election, allowing right-wing conspiratorial content to fester in the weeks leading up to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a whistleblower. Facebook statement on suggestion it has mislead the public and investors:
Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, filed at least eight separate complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that the social network "misled investors and the public about its role perpetuating misinformation and violent extremism relating to the 2020 election and January 6th insurrection," including removing "safety systems" put in place ahead of the 2020 election. "As is evident from the news and our numerous public statements over the past several years, Facebook has confronted issues of misinformation, hate speech, and extremism and continues to aggressively combat it. Unsurprisingly, we expressly disclose to investors that these risks have and do and may in the future occur on our platform."
"And as soon as the election was over, they turned them back off or they changed the settings back to what they were before, to prioritize growth over safety," Haugen said in an interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley. Claim removing safety systems after the 2020 election allowed divisive content to spread:
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