Defying Whistleblowers, Zuckerberg Blames 'Coordinated' Attack On Facebook

In the face of recent whistleblower revelations about Facebook's inaction towards hate speech and misinformation, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged the startling series of whistleblower allegations.

During Facebook's Q3 earnings call on Monday, Zuckerberg claimed that the recent leaks surrounding Facebook were part of a "coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture" of Facebook and its subsidiaries.

Xinhua

Zuckerberg's blame game

Pinning the blame on the complications of "balancing difficult social values", Zuckerberg said that Facebook has spent $5 billion in just 2021 in terms of safety and security.

In the call, Zuckerberg made a lot of sweeping statements, suggesting that polarisation had been underway in the United States even before he was born, while suggesting that social media "cannot fix" problems that it did cause in the first place.

Also read: Hateful Ads On Facebook Are Cheaper Than Other Ads, Says Facebook Whistleblower

Reuters

That's not all! In the scathing remarks, Zuckerberg also hit out at US officials, claiming that companies like Facebook should not be forced to make such decisions themselves and that some sort of regulation should be in place.

Naturally, media had it coming too. "We cannot change the underlying media dynamics", PCMag quoted Zuckerberg as saying.

Whistleblowing continues

Recently, whistleblower testimony from Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee has shook the company's ground. She testified before lawmakers in London yesterday, after appearing before US Congress earlier, where she urged lawmakers to help Facebook and alleged the company doesn't do enough to tackle hate speech and misinformation.

She also alleged that Facebook prioritises profit over the well-being of its users, a claim corroborated by other whistleblowers like former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang.

Reuters

Also read: New Whistleblower Alleges Facebook's Criminality, Says She Has 'Blood On Her Hands'

Haugen told British lawmakers in London that advertisements with inflammatory content are cheaper than other ads on Facebook, sparking a new flame in the never-ending Facebook saga. With "Facebook Papers" now making the rounds on global media outlets, there's no fanning this fire - not from Zuckerberg's end.

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