The ‘mole’ Haugen: “Facebook threatens the integrity of our democracies”

Facebook “harms the security of our communities” and “the integrity of our democracies”. Thus Frances Haugen, the ‘whistleblower’ of Facebook, warned the European Parliament of the risks deriving from the excessive power of the most widespread social platform in the world. The former Facebook executive urged members of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Commission to “act” and pass “new laws”. The initiative of the European Union, he stressed, “can inspire other countries, including mine”. Facebook, Haugen said, “has become a trillion-dollar company by putting its profits before security.” As already done in recent weeks, even before the US Congress, Haugen accused the company founded by Mark Zuckerberg of “fueling conflicts” between users “for their own profit”, as well as favoring “extremism and polarization. “and” spreading disinformation “. A behavior that “harms society” and can give rise to “real violence”. “Almost no one outside of Facebook knows what happens inside Facebook,” explained the former manager of the social network, adding that the company keeps its practices “secret” from the public, the authorities and its own shareholders. . By creating legislation that forces companies like Facebook into greater transparency and accountability, the European Union has “a unique opportunity to create a safer world of social media,” said Haugen, stressing that “there is still time. to act, but we must act now. ”