Leaked Facebook Papers Reveal Company Knew Platforms Fueled Outrage
Internal documents obtained by a whistleblower show Meta understood its algorithms promoted outrage and harmed teen well-being while the company prioritized profits. Lawmakers and journalists are now scrutinizing these papers to determine how to regulate the social media giant.
Leaked internal documents known as the Facebook Papers show that Meta knowingly allows its algorithms to promote outrage and misinformation. Former employee Frances Haugen copies tens of thousands of pages of company research before leaving the organization, revealing that Facebook understands exactly how its platforms drive civic strife and profit from human rage.
The documents reveal that the social media giant's own studies link Instagram to harmful effects on the well-being of teenage girls. Furthermore, the papers show that Facebook's systems enable severe real-world consequences, including human trafficking and ethnic violence in countries where the company applies minimal content moderation.
Congress, federal regulators, and a consortium of news organizations currently comb through this trove of private information to understand the full scope of the problem. This unprecedented level of transparency prompts lawmakers to consider new ways to rein in the company's outsized influence over the global flow of information.