on how the last reform ... had dramatic impacts on
the safety of some of the most vulnerable people
in our society.”
Lawmakers brought forward proposals after
Haugen presented a case in October that
Facebook’s systems amplify online hate and
extremism and fail to protect young users from
harmful content.
Her previous disclosures have energized legislative
and regulatory efforts around the world aimed
at cracking down on Big Tech, and she made a
series of appearances recently before European
lawmakers and officials who are drawing up rules
for social media companies.
Haugen, a data scientist who worked as a
product manager in Facebook’s civic integrity
unit, buttressed her assertions with a massive
trove of internal company documents she
secretly copied and provided to federal
securities regulators and Congress.
“Facebook wants you to get caught up in a long,
drawn out debate over the minutiae of different
legislative approaches. Please don’t fall into that
trap,” she told the lawmakers Wednesday. “Time
is of the essence. There is a lot at stake here. You
have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create
new rules for our online world.”
When she made her first public appearance this
fall, laying out a far-reaching condemnation
of the social network giant before a Senate
Commerce subcommittee, Haugen offered
prescriptions for action by Congress. She
rejected the idea of breaking up the tech giant
as many lawmakers are calling for, favoring
instead targeted legislative remedies.