#Facebook issues series

Take the example of a report published by the Journal on September 16 that highlighted internal Facebook research about a violent Mexican drug cartel, known as Cartél Jalisco Nueva Generación. (Facebook previously declined to comment on this report.) The move appears to be a clear attempt to turn the page, but a fresh coat of paint won’t fix the underlying issues outlined in the documents - only Facebook, or whatever it may soon be called, can do that. Instead, Facebook is now reportedly planning to rebrand itself under a new name as early as this week, as the wave of critical coverage continues. In a tweet thread last week, the company’s Vice President of Communications, John Pinette, called the Facebook Papers a “curated selection out of millions of documents at Facebook” which “can in no way be used to draw fair conclusions about us.” But even that response is telling –- if Facebook has more documents that would tell a fuller story, why not release them? (During her Senate testimony Facebook’s Davis said Facebook is “looking for ways to release more research.”)Ī trove of internal Facebook documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen has kicked off a wave of coverage of the company, starting with the Wall Street Journal's 'Facebook Files' and now as a consortium of other news organizations roll out stories on the same documents. “Yes, we’re a business and we make profit, but the idea that we do so at the expense of people’s safety or wellbeing misunderstands where our own commercial interests lie.” “At the heart of these stories is a premise which is false,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. But the vast trove of documents, and the many stories surely still to come from it, touch on concerns and problems across seemingly every part of its business: its approach to combatting hate speech and misinformation, managing international growth, protecting younger users on its platform and even its ability to accurately measure the size of its massive audience.Īll of this raises an uncomfortable question for the company: Is Facebook actually capable of managing the potential for real-world harms from its staggeringly large platforms, or has the social media giant become too big not to fail?įacebook, for its part, has repeatedly tried to discredit Haugen, and said her testimony and reports on the documents mischaracterize its actions and efforts. Not stopping 'Stop the Steal:' Facebook Papers paint damning picture of company's role in insurrectionįacebook has dealt with scandals over its approach to data privacy, content moderation and competitors before. And on Friday, another former Facebook employee anonymously filed a complaint against the company to the SEC, with allegations similar to Haugen’s.

Members of the subcommittee have called for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify. There’s currently no end in sight for Facebook’s troubles. Haugen herself then testified before the Senate subcommittee, during which she said she believes that “Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.” The publication of the Journal’s “Facebook Files,” which raised concerns about the impact of Instagram on teen girls, among other issues, prompted a Senate subcomittee hearing with Facebook head of global safety Antigone Davis. (The consortium’s work is based on many of the same documents.)

#Facebook issues series

The Wall Street Journal previously published a series of stories based on tens of thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents leaked by Haugen. The reports from CNN, and the other outlets that are part of the consortium, follow a month of intense scrutiny for the company. (FB)’s challenges moderating content in some non-English-speaking countries, and how human traffickers have used its platforms to exploit people. (FB) sow discord and violence, including on January 6, as well as Facebook The consortium, which includes CNN, reviewed the redacted versions received by Congress.ĬNN’s coverage includes stories about how coordinated groups on Facebook

On Friday, a consortium of 17 US news organizations began publishing a series of stories - collectively called “The Facebook Papers” - based on a trove of hundreds of internal company documents which were included in disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission and provided to Congress in redacted form by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s legal counsel. But now it faces a combination of all three at once in what could be the most intense and wide-ranging crisis in the company’s 17-year history. Facebook has confronted whistleblowers, PR firestorms and Congressional inquiries in recent years.