A new Facebook whistleblower is accusing Facebook of prioritizing money over the fight against hate speech and misinformation, The Washington Post reported Friday. The whistleblower, who is a former member of the platform's Integrity team and spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Post, made those claims to the SEC as well.
The allegations are similar to those of whistleblower Frances Haugen, who has made her own SEC complaint and said earlier this month that Facebook prioritizes profit over safety. The person's remarks add to a pile of allegations made against the company over the past few weeks, which Facebook has consistently denied or defended itself against.
In the latest complaint, the former employee also claimed that Facebook communications official Tucker Bounds said, in reference to controversy around Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, that lawmakers would get upset, then move on, while Facebook kept making money. "It will be a flash in the pan. Some legislators will get pissy. And then in a few weeks they will move onto something else. Meanwhile we are printing money in the basement, and we are fine," the complaint quotes Bounds as saying.
Bounds, who is now a vice president of communications, told The Post that being asked about the alleged remarks "with a faceless person, with no other sourcing than the empty accusation itself, is a first for me." Facebook spokesperson Erin McPike told The Post that its reporting on the matter "is beneath The Washington Post."
According to the Post, the whistleblower's affidavit is dated Oct. 13. Haugen testified just a week before.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE