The Covid-19 problems make it uncomfortably clear: Even when he set a goal, the chief executive couldn’t steer the platform as he wanted. They used Facebook’s own tools to sow doubt about the severity of the pandemic’s threat and the safety of authorities’ main weapon to combat it. Activists flooded the network with what Facebook calls “barrier to vaccination” content, the internal memos show. It ended up demonstrating the gulf between his aspirations and the reality of the world’s largest social platform. Zuckerberg’s faith that his creation is a force for social good in the world. (Listen to a related podcast.)Ĭontinue Story → _05 | How Facebook Hobbled Mark Zuckerberg’s Bid to Get America Vaccinated By Sam Schechner, Jeff Horwitz and Emily Glazerįacebook threw its weight behind promoting Covid-19 vaccines-“a top company priority,” one memo said-in a demonstration of Mr. A Facebook spokesman said the company has deployed global teams, local partnerships and third-party fact checkers to keep users safe. They also show the company’s response, which in many instances is inadequate or nothing at all. They sent alerts to their bosses about organ selling, pornography and government action against political dissent, according to the documents. They warned that armed groups in Ethiopia used the site to incite violence against ethnic minorities. Employees flagged that human traffickers in the Middle East used the site to lure women into abusive employment situations. Scores of Facebook documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show employees raising alarms about how its platforms are used in developing countries, where its user base is huge and expanding.
By Justin Scheck, Newley Purnell and Jeff Horwitz The Company’s Response Is Weak, Documents Show. (Listen to a related podcast.)Ĭontinue Story → _04 | Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers. Facebook, in response, says any algorithm can promote objectionable or harmful content and that the company is doing its best to mitigate the problem. Zuckerberg resisted some fixes proposed by his team, the documents show, because he worried they would lead people to interact with Facebook less. It was making Facebook, and those who used it, angrier. Within the company, the documents show, staffers warned the change was having the opposite effect. Zuckerberg declared his aim was to strengthen bonds between users and improve their well-being by fostering interactions between friends and family. By Keach Hagey and Jeff Horwitzįacebook made a heralded change to its algorithm in 2018 designed to improve its platform-and arrest signs of declining user engagement. (Listen to a related podcast.)Ĭontinue Story → _03 | Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. In response, Facebook says the negative effects aren’t widespread, that the mental-health research is valuable and that some of the harmful aspects aren’t easy to address. In public, Facebook has consistently played down the app’s negative effects, including in comments to Congress, and hasn’t made its research public or available to academics or lawmakers who have asked for it. Repeatedly, the company found that Instagram is harmful for a sizable percentage of them, most notably teenage girls, more so than other social-media platforms. Researchers inside Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, have been studying for years how its photo-sharing app affects millions of young users.
(Listen to a related podcast.)Ĭontinue Story → _02 | Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Many Teen Girls, Company Documents Show By Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Deepa Seetharaman Facebook says criticism of the program is fair, that it was designed for a good purpose and that the company is working to fix it. Many abuse the privilege, posting material including harassment and incitement to violence that would typically lead to sanctions. Today, it shields millions of VIPs from the company’s normal enforcement, the documents show. The program, known as “cross check” or “XCheck,” was intended as a quality-control measure for high-profile accounts. In private, the company has built a system that has exempted high-profile users from some or all of its rules. Has said Facebook allows its users to speak on equal footing with the elites of politics, culture and journalism, and that its standards apply to everyone. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That’s Exempt By Jeff Horwitz _01 | Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All.
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