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Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

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Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#121

Post by plaidfuji »

aierou wrote: post #76
walrus01 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone I know who works in FAANG, FB specifically, and PMs even more specifically, really have little idea of whats going on in the bigger picture That's exactly the thing about the banality of evil, any individual person working on some small subsystem or component of something in a FAANG, to them it might not immediately be apparent that what they're doing is enabling the corrosion of democracy and discourse. A…

You just compared a social media company to a weapons manufacturer. Elsewhere, I see comparisons to cigarettes, oxycontin, gambling. It is easy to see how one might think Facebook to be evil if they are constantly bombarded with these false equivalencies.

The comparisons are completely relevant. All are companies that provide a product with significant negative societal externalities. The only difference is that social media has yet to be regulated in any way.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#122

Post by tannhaeuser »

woeirua wrote: post #77

I think a lot of people are choosing to ignore that a lot of companies have done things in the past that were not illegal at the time of action. However, those actions were later decided to be made illegal because the behavior was deemed to be antithetical to our values. For example, Standard Oil did not break any laws in its ruthless consolidation of the nascent oil industry. In fact, it exploited the law to allow i…

Frankly, I'm not expecting any meaningful legislative response, given US antitrust has blessed the WhatsApp and Instagram acquisitions by Fb as well as Google's acquisition of DoubleClick and YouTube.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#123

Post by AzzieElbab »

the_snooze wrote: post #68
jasondigitized wrote: post #38

Now do the same for CNN, Fox News and every other sophisticated media company who have all created Skinner boxes to get more eyeballs. The entire system needs a hard examination.

This is straight-up deflection. It makes sense to start somewhere, so why not the biggest player in town? That would be Facebook, with billions of active users. None of those cable channels are even close to 100s of millions of viewers.

None of those cable channels are even close to 100s of millions of viewers. That is not fair at all. TV networks are local, there are only 330M ppl in the US. Also, you are not counting how many viewers TV networks and their employees reach via FB/Twitter.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#124

Post by thrwn_frthr_awy »

beaner wrote: post #106
echelon wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> while not illegal While not currently illegal. Call your representatives and tell them you find this reprehensible. Let's make it illegal. We live in a representative democracy.

What is it , exactly?

Personalized advertising.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#125

Post by koheripbal »

gameswithgo wrote: post #90
shmatt wrote: post #36

There is something that doesn't sit right with me about the whistleblower. Yes, she is a data scientist which gives her many many extra points. But, she was a PM for 2 years in FAANG. Her actual scope of the what was going on in FB as a huge org, as she's trying to comment on (the "I want to fix FB" quotes from 60 minutes) Everyone I know who works in FAANG, FB specifically, and PMs even more specifically, really hav…

So who do you propose to bring in and testify against Facebook who does understand the bigger picture, shmatt? Are you arguing in good faith here?

At minimum it needs to be someone who is aware of the company strategy.

She simply doesnt have any relevant knowledge.

This is all politics.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#126

Post by caminante »

newfonewhodis wrote: post #44
prvc wrote: post #29

What concrete information has been revealed that implicates Facebook in illegal behavior? How does the "whistleblower"'s stated desires wrt goverment-mandated moderation standards differ from those articulated by representatives of the company itself? Such a framework would shift liability away from the company, possibly reduce their moderation load, and create a significant barrier for entry for potential competitor…

> What concrete information has been revealed that implicates Facebook in illegal behavior? I'll leave it up to the legal system to decide what FB has done that's currently illegal. However, you don't just blow the whistle when you think laws are being broken. Sometimes you do it to start a discussion that can change the laws. It's clear from the Facebook Files stories and documents that FB has known about the effect…

>1. lied to the public 2. lied to lawmakers 3. didn't change the product in ways that positively impacted kids.

To the parent's request, something needs to be concrete and egregious for a prosecutor to chase this.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#127

Post by TeMPOraL »

jhawk28 wrote: post #82
avisser wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the 60 minutes interview her lawyer cites part of Dodd-Frank that protects whistleblowers going to the SEC. Their position is that the documents are material to investors re:valuation and that Facebook was negligent by not providing it. https://youtu.be/_Lx5VmAdZSI?t=596

The problem is that would cover pretty much anything.

As the famous Levine's quip goes, "everything is securities fraud". From first reading of the article, it seems to me she just wants to nail Facebook with SEC, with everything else being just noise to get media attention.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#128

Post by 6gvONxR4sf7o »

prvc wrote: post #29

What concrete information has been revealed that implicates Facebook in illegal behavior? How does the "whistleblower"'s stated desires wrt goverment-mandated moderation standards differ from those articulated by representatives of the company itself? Such a framework would shift liability away from the company, possibly reduce their moderation load, and create a significant barrier for entry for potential competitor…

Is Zuckerberg lying to congress illegal behavior? These docs seem to have made a pretty clear case that he did that.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#129

Post by fullshark »

prvc wrote: post #29

What concrete information has been revealed that implicates Facebook in illegal behavior? How does the "whistleblower"'s stated desires wrt goverment-mandated moderation standards differ from those articulated by representatives of the company itself? Such a framework would shift liability away from the company, possibly reduce their moderation load, and create a significant barrier for entry for potential competitor…

The claim is FB mislead shareholders about their product and committed securities fraud.

Re: Facebook Whistleblower Leaks Thousands of Pages of Incriminating Internal Docs

#130

Post by Me1000 »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #45
Me1000 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not really an "angle", she worked with a whistleblower protection organization and she specifically gave these documents to the SEC, filing 8 complaints with the regulatory organization. All of that communication is protected. I don't know what the legal implications for leaking to the press are, but that's where her exposure is.

Her bigger risk is probably the employment angle. Hard to picture hiring this person except if you're 100% certain your company's behavior aligns with her morals, and you can't find anyone else. Even for people who generally agree with her view on Facebook employing her presents a pretty serious known risk at this point.

OP asked about the legal ramifications, not the social and professional implications of her whistleblowing.

But that said, I think there are a lot of cynical takes in this comment thread. I don't think Frances will find have a difficult time getting a job. There are plenty of people in tech who think what she did was admirable and are very proud of her, including her alma mater. Sure there will be many people and companies who wouldn't hire her, but there are also many who will.

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