A day after damning testimony to US lawmakers from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, the long-established barriers to regulation – stalled legislation, free speech protections and tech's rapid advances – were still in place. "How are we going to make smart policy solutions if we don't have insight into what's going on (inside Facebook)?" Facebook is famously insular, with whistleblower Haugen describing the internal belief that "if information is shared with the public, it will just be misunderstood." But the coming forward of Haugen, who worked as a product manager at Facebook, could help further lift the lid off the company's secrets. For her part, Nora Benavidez, a Facebook accountability expert, said she saw in the hearing a catalyzing moment that was broader than the impact on children.

Source: The Star October 07, 2021 04:52 UTC