October 6, 2021

Following the recent revelations by whistleblower Frances Haugen, U.S. lawmakers are now calling on regulators to take the necessary action against Facebook.

Haugen previously worked as a former product manager on Facebook’s civic misinformation team and accused Facebook of putting revenue before user safety.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, accused Facebook of turning a blind eye to the plight of children under 13 on its platform, “It is clear that Facebook prioritizes profit over the well-being of children and all users.”

U.S. Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts directed a statement to Mark Zuckerberg, who was absent. “Your (Facebook’s) time of invading our privacy and preying on children is over. Congress will be taking action.”

Haugen testified during a Senate committee meeting: “There is no one currently holding Mark (Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief executive) to account. The buck stops with Mark. The company’s leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but won’t make the necessary changes because they put their astronomical profits before people.”

For more information, read the original story in Reuters.