> there's a world of difference between this and the impact of
Facebook in 2009.
You're absolutely right there,
Frances Haugen's leaked internal communications showed
incontrovertibly that internal Facebook research had long known teen
girls had increased suicidal thoughts and obtained eating
disorders. Facebook and Instagram products exploited teens with
manipulative algorithms designed to amplify their insecurities, and
that was documented. Yet they consistently chose to maximise growth
rather than implement safeguards, and to actively bury the truth that
their product caused deaths [0]. Similarly the Post Office had
mountains of evidence that its software was ruining lives yet engaged
in a protracted, active cover-up [1].
So, very similar.
But what's the "world of difference"?
> looking for a way to monetise its popularity.
That's a defence? You know what, that makes it worse. The Post
Office were acting out of fear, whereas Facebook acted out of vanity
and greed. The Post Office wanted to hide what had happened, whereas
Facebook wanted to cloak ongoing misdeeds in order to continue.
Simply despicable.
Way I see it - Facebook come out looking much, much worse.
The NPR link is from 2021, not 2009. It links out to research from 2019, still not 2009. In 2009, Facebook was still branching out among university students.
You're absolutely right there,
Frances Haugen's leaked internal communications showed incontrovertibly that internal Facebook research had long known teen girls had increased suicidal thoughts and obtained eating disorders. Facebook and Instagram products exploited teens with manipulative algorithms designed to amplify their insecurities, and that was documented. Yet they consistently chose to maximise growth rather than implement safeguards, and to actively bury the truth that their product caused deaths [0]. Similarly the Post Office had mountains of evidence that its software was ruining lives yet engaged in a protracted, active cover-up [1].
So, very similar.
But what's the "world of difference"?
> looking for a way to monetise its popularity.
That's a defence? You know what, that makes it worse. The Post Office were acting out of fear, whereas Facebook acted out of vanity and greed. The Post Office wanted to hide what had happened, whereas Facebook wanted to cloak ongoing misdeeds in order to continue. Simply despicable.
Way I see it - Facebook come out looking much, much worse.
[0] https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043377310/facebook-whistlebl...
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68079300