5. Whistleblower Says Facebook Knowingly Profits From Hate Speech [UnChecked: Bonus Episode]

Frances Haugen, the whistleblower whose revelations have prompted a congressional investigation into Facebook revealed herself publicly in an interview that aired on CBS on Sunday night. Haugen is the source of thousands of internal company documents that were leaked to U.S. lawmakers and the Wall Street Journal.

A data scientist, Haugen was hired by Facebook in June of 2019 to lead the company’s civic integrity team, which was charged with cracking down on hate speech and misinformation. In practice however, she said that the company chose to downplay or ignore its own evidence detailing the rampant spread of misinformation on its platforms, as well as harms to children and teens. Haugen's lawyers have filed at least eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, should the agency choose to bring charges against Facebook for withholding information and misleading investors.

The public outcry over Facebook is not new. The social media giant has been on the receiving end of media exposes and Congressional inquiries for years. Last July, [Un]Common Law released a podcast series, called “Unchecked” looking into the legal and regulatory framework for social media, as well as changes to laws that could be implemented.

In this special episode of [Un]Common Law, Naomi Nix, a Washington, DC based reporter for Bloomberg News talks about the latest revelations.