Facebook whistleblower accuses company of failing to address climate change misinformation

Facebook is the subject of two new Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaints filed by WhistleblowerAid, the nonprofit that represents Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, first reported by The Washington Post. , The complaints accuse Facebook, now meta, of misleading investors about its efforts to combat misinformation about climate change and COVID-19.

The first complaint received by The Washington Post alleges the presence of readily available climate change misinformation on Facebook, which Facebook claims is fighting climate denial. It also includes internal documents detailing employees' own experiences with climate-related lies on the platform. As noted by The Post, one employee reports searching for "climate change" in the Watch tab and then viewing a video promoting "climate misinformation" as the second result. The video in question has reportedly garnered 6.6 million views. Another employee reportedly urged the company to remove climate-related misinformation, not just label the post as potentially false.

The complaint also referred to Facebook's Climate Science Information Center, a hub for reliable climate change information on the platform it launched in 2020. As reported by The Post, the complaint makes reference to internal records that claimed user awareness of the Hub was "very low." May suggest. He didn't have the desired reach. Last year, META attempted to bolster its Climate Science Information Center with additional quizzes, videos, and facts. A study conducted months later found that climate change denial on the platform has become even more widespread.

The second complaint alleges that Facebook's promise to tackle COVID-19 misinformation was not in line with its actions. According to The Post, the complaint cited an internal document showing a 20 percent increase in misinformation in April 2020, as well as a May 2020 record in which employees joined hundreds of anti-quarantine groups. had participated. indicated. Last July, President Joe Biden accused Facebook and other social platforms of "killing people" with misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines.

Haugen leaked a collection of internal Facebook documents - called the Facebook Papers - to the Wall Street Journal last year. She has since testified before Congress to discuss possible changes to Section 230, the law that protects websites from legal accountability for illegal content that users may post.