Social media giant, Facebook is reportedly slowing down its product development so it can perform reputational reviews in the wake of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations about the corporation.
These New Events Are Harming Facebook’s Reputation
As per the WSJ report, Facebook has “paused some work on current developing products” while a team of employees performs reputational reviews and investigates how the work could further harm their reputation. The group is looking at possible negative effects on children, as well as criticism the company could face.
The Company Has Paused Product Development to Investigate the Issues
The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg alluded to the change of slowing down product development and conducting reputational reviews in a statement issued on Tuesday — his first since the whistleblower’s disclosures became public. “I believe that over the long term if we keep trying to do what’s right and delivering experiences that improve people’s lives, it will be better for our community and our business,” he wrote. “I’ve asked leaders across the company to do deep dives on our work across many areas over the next few days so you can see everything that we’re doing to get there.”
Read more: 1.5 Billion Facebook Users’ Data Was Allegedly Put Up for Sale Amid Global Outage
The change of slowing down product development is one of the most explicit signs yet of how much Haugen’s confessions have shaken the corporation in recent weeks. Facebook has already “suspended” its work on an Instagram Kids app, after a WSJ report on business research showing Instagram is dangerous to some teens’ mental health. However, Facebook has tried to downplay its own research, pressure has risen since Haugen, a former product manager stepped forward and testified in a three-hour Senate hearing this week.
The Whistleblower Requested Congress to Impose New Regulations on Facebook
The Facebook whistleblower told the lawmakers that Zuckerberg and other executives have prioritized the social network’s growth over users’ safety and that the company has deceived the public about its AI-based moderation technology. She’s called on Facebook to make its research more broadly obtainable and requested Congress to impose new regulations on the social media platform.
Source: The Verge
