Facebook under fire after documents are leaked (includes video story)

Facebook is under fire after documents were leaked. The social media company is facing what could be the biggest crisis in its seven-year history.

“The research and the studies that reveal Facebook putting profits over people are from Facebook’s own files revealed to them long before it was revealed to us,” concluded Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal.

On Friday, a group of media outlets started reporting on hundreds of internal company documents dubbed the “Facebook papers”.

Whistleblower Francis Haugen, who provided paperwork to support her claims to the Securities and Exchange Commission, shared, “Facebook never set out to prioritize polarizing divisive content. It just happened to be a side effect of choices they did make.”

Yesterday, the former Facebook employee appeared before the UK parliament to praise lawmakers for taking action to regulate the social media platform.

Haugen described how the company addressed misinformation and moderated hate speech. And they highlighted Facebook’s role in the January 6th insurrection.

A Facebook spokesperson on Friday said that, “the responsibility for the violence that occurred on January 6 lies with those who attacked the capital and those who encouraged them….”

Zitlali Solache is a student in Florida International University, pursuing her Masters degree in Spanish-Language Broadcast Journalism. Zitlali Solache is Mexican American and has a passion for storytelling and news. She has interned for WPBT PBS, WSVN Channel 7 and STEP Univision. After graduation, Zitlali aspires to become a reporter/anchor in her hometown Miami, FL.