The revelations of the @WSJ's Facebook Files series confirm what researchers and journalists have long suspected. There's an opportunity here for the company to change, if it seizes it, @Klonick writes: https://t.co/mUxPHdmTNi

— Siddhartha Mahanta (@sidhubaba) October 1, 2021

Great piece from someone who tells everyone she introduces me to that we met on LiveJournal. https://t.co/GEl8Z2wrOC

— Adam McCue (@mccue) October 1, 2021

#Facebook braces for new accusations from the whistleblower over the weekend. The company said in a memo that it was preparing to mount a vigorous defensehttps://t.co/r185kFi0FV via @MikeIsaac/@nytimes

— Daniel "Get a Vaccine" Zuidijk (@dzuidijk) October 2, 2021

Wait…you mean that 3 minutes from a 3 hour long hearing was used to misunderstand the very basic points that were being made about facebooks business model and then went viral when people posted it for likes and retweets? I’m shocked! Shocked I tell you! https://t.co/gw1dGG2SoY

— Adam Christensen (@AC4Congress2020) October 3, 2021

Really important read. https://t.co/VDjEUpDozP

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) October 3, 2021

I’m glad this piece got written and agree with the ultimate point (although the “we” at the end here feels a little flimsy), but … https://t.co/xUh962wvsc pic.twitter.com/UNTd9qSUtB

— Damon Beres ? (@dlberes) October 1, 2021

This is unfortunate — execs who have traditionally defended research don’t seem to be showing up.

There are other ways the company could have responded to the reporting. This way seems to confirm that comms comes before work. https://t.co/ajG4Nb6DR5

— Jeff Horwitz (@JeffHorwitz) October 2, 2021

Exactly. And even then it’s a deceptive counter argument. Looking at the percent with those thoughts tracking back to Instagram is significantly higher. Think about what we rightly have done for lower percentages and older population from Covid. https://t.co/nOBQVbnOrN

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 2, 2021

Well this is worth a read: https://t.co/D8NbuCRoqI

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) October 3, 2021

A literal republican operative (Ben Kaplan) runs Facebook’s DC office, no one should be surprised by this https://t.co/80VqjD9tBL

— Lil Brood X ? (@pleizar) October 3, 2021

Facebook is engulfed in scandal (again) over its products' impact on kids and Mark Zuckerberg wants nothing to do with it. https://t.co/5Kg7gTJRIC pic.twitter.com/0c2JF4xmXd

— Rob Price ? (@robaeprice) October 1, 2021

Yesterday’s hearing was a continuation of our legislative pursuits, but also a call to action for Facebook to get real—real fast—about change. Parents, the public, & Congress deserve the truth. We need accountability. 8

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

no justice and no good change happens without whistleblowers https://t.co/kfggWfg4A9

— Lora Kolodny (@lorakolodny) October 2, 2021

Sunday, meet the Facebook Whistleblower: a former employee who shared thousands of pages of internal research with the Securities and Exchange Commission. https://t.co/oeq8F54JGy

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 2, 2021

She's reportedly going to reveal her identity on 60 Minutes on Sunday.https://t.co/vKZiZOXxgz

— Caligirl (@caligirlinsf) October 1, 2021

Excited to see The Facebook Files making waves. If you want to catch up on the podcast series, you can listen ? https://t.co/zjbBZmxtFU https://t.co/t6Tnq5wJxv

— pia gadkari (@piagadkari) October 1, 2021

An actual tech writer who is also an actual kid explains that Finsta is a real issue and Blumenthal was right to ask about it https://t.co/G6wcUfY3Xw

— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) October 3, 2021

Sen. Blumenthal asks Facebook "Will you commit to ending Finsta?"

Facebook's safety chief has to explain that Finsta is slang for a fake account. pic.twitter.com/jMYy5AIZjY

— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) September 30, 2021

“The whistle-blower, who plans to reveal her identity during the [60 Minutes] interview, was set to say that Facebook had turned off some of its safety measures around the election — such as limits on live video — too soon after Election Day, the memo said.” https://t.co/Frz2CoLkI5

— Sanho Tree (@SanhoTree) October 3, 2021

If you still have Facebook, what’s your reason?

I deleted what I could off Facebook some years ago & am really glad I did.

There are other ways to do what Facebook offers without supporting a very broken & malicious company.

Hoping @FCC can break off Instagram from FB too https://t.co/I1XMevBa34

— Erik Reichenbach (@ErikReichenb4ch) September 30, 2021

Facebook is a loaded gun pointed at the heart of democracy. Enough “likes” & they’ll pull the trigger. https://t.co/c93x27s5CR

— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) October 3, 2021

Nick Clegg memo to Facebook employee: How to talk to your family about the fact you work for us. https://t.co/aA5GcPrsZh pic.twitter.com/ja8qKEEioL

— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) October 3, 2021

Fascinating thread on a whole world of trouble & pain that Facebook is in. For so long, this company has faced no consequences. That maybe about to change https://t.co/p3B5qGNP1K

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) October 2, 2021

this closer from @Klonick is spot on https://t.co/8oG92dt7Zy pic.twitter.com/0RL7YaFGdo

— David Kaye (@davidakaye) October 1, 2021

Somehow this from @nickclegg leaked and now none of us are going to listen to the whistleblower?
Slick, Nick. https://t.co/zi5BcMvSV0

— Kim Masters (@kimmasters) October 3, 2021

We all know that Facebook treated protecting kids with disregard. If it had protected kids, like it did its revenue growth, it would have done a whole lot more. Instead, Facebook has evaded, misled, & deceived. 7/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

NEWS: Whistleblower will accuse Facebook of easing safeguards that led to the January 6th Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to internal memo

Policy VP Nick Clegg defends Facebook in a company-wide address from Friday evening, obtained by NYThttps://t.co/9fXF0ZwxOK

— rat king (@MikeIsaac) October 2, 2021

These verbal gymnastics illuminate nothing, which is why I would love to have @nickclegg on for a substantive full hour discussion on Sway at this important moment. Unfortunately, we get persistent declines from FB, even as they book on press with less experience in this arena.

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) October 3, 2021

I’m not sure Facebook’s combative counter approach is the best way to go here, especially with these selective, and vague, defenses https://t.co/MK7pDCUZlA

— Andrew Hutchinson (@adhutchinson) October 2, 2021

We, as users of Facebook, have the power to change how @Facebook operates.

Join UltraViolet, @kairos_action, @accountabletech, @dailykos, and more in our Facebook & Instagram logout campaign on November 10th >> https://t.co/Y1h1c7DrcN https://t.co/gfs0OpThHn pic.twitter.com/ae6o1WUvPc

— UltraViolet (Text JOIN to 98688) (@UltraViolet) October 1, 2021

In addition, Instagram does essentially push "Finstas" -- I have been getting prompts from Instagram in the app recently to set up secondary accounts. Anyone else? https://t.co/fgpriYN2Fn

— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) October 1, 2021

A good piece that flags the problem with "engagement" as the top metric for optimization. I'd say that the performance management systems at technology companies – how companies measure and decide how to reward employees – is a) unexamined by lawmakers and b) the key to change. https://t.co/ih4nkEIz2c

— Jon Wiley (@jonwiley) October 1, 2021

Where are Mark and Sheryl?

Zuckerberg hasn't posted in days
Sandberg's post from 9/29 has scalding comments ?@Mosseri has been MIA since his week on Today Show and the Met Gala red carpet

latest on internal turmoil by @MikeIsaac @sheeraf @RMac18 https://t.co/T9tAX8EWXM

— Cecilia Kang (@ceciliakang) October 2, 2021

I don’t believe this premise is accurate. Reports have said she went to the SEC, too. That absolutely has to protect her but I’m not a lawyer let alone a whistleblower lawyer. https://t.co/vuedY7TTfK

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 1, 2021

Regulate social media now: Whistle-Blower to Accuse Facebook of Contributing to Jan. 6 Riot, Memo Says - The New York Times https://t.co/20Sbna4vJ6

— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) October 3, 2021

(set record) https://t.co/QQSRSRZceH pic.twitter.com/UnnTZOP9sk

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 2, 2021

Great piece from @FBoversight’s teen protégée @zamaan_qureshi on the ‘finsta’ phenomenon among teenagers (fake Instagram accounts to you & me)

https://t.co/3qJr9rO95z

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) October 2, 2021

It's odd reading this internal note from Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and seeing how it mimics past leaked talking points from the company.https://t.co/NN0mYcvIaD

— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) October 3, 2021

When Facebook received no real consequences for Cambridge Analytica, I think that should’ve signaled that they were and will continue to get away with worse. https://t.co/z10zc17bdS

— Patience. (@patiencezalanga) October 2, 2021

Exactly! Excellent thread from Senator who led yesterday’s hearing. https://t.co/O99NhApvJS

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) October 1, 2021

We now know while Facebook publicly denies that Instagram is deeply harmful for teens, privately Facebook researchers/experts have been ringing the alarm. 2/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

Great piece and I agree with most of it, but I don’t think the solution is merely “more and better” people - it’s true diversity and radical inclusion, something Facebook has always failed at. https://t.co/04pZrQsIgs

— Chillian J. Yikes! (@jilliancyork) October 1, 2021

Wow. Wahala be like bicycle in Mark and Sheryl's world.? https://t.co/DOawIPQa1W

— Dr Ola Brown (@NaijaFlyingDr) October 3, 2021

Watch 60 Minutes at 7:30pm tonight immediately after the NFL game. Trust me. https://t.co/QQSRSRZceH pic.twitter.com/pgQ3eBYtdd

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 3, 2021

This thread outlines a dozen different fundamental flaws in & challenges to Facebook's existence

This is not a PR moment, it is a 50 ft wave of years of corruption within the company https://t.co/gp6QtoYt24

— Joe Cardillo (@joecardillo) October 3, 2021

Awesome dunking on a clip w/o context. Right before this, Blumenthal notes that "finstas" are fake Instagram accts and outlines the financial incentive to turn a blind eye to multiple accts, regardless of the safety implications.

Starts at 01:17:20: https://t.co/SKjpmbesRA https://t.co/Dryr2K5mnk

— Cody Venzke (@venzkec) September 30, 2021

Facebook, they’re not just spreading disinformation about the vaccine they’re also involved in the insurrection. https://t.co/mZnwUAla1I

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 3, 2021

Until Facebook reckons with the fact that everyone judges them on content moderation because it’s the only product it actually makes, they will forever be trapped trying to deflect attention from its own product to other people’s work

— nilay patel (@reckless) October 3, 2021

Part of Nick Clegg’s preemptive response to the FB whistleblower: “Indeed, polarizing content and misinformation are also present on platforms that have no algorithmic ranking whatsoever, including private messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.” But… https://t.co/xx3isMVkgL

— Kate Starbird (@katestarbird) October 3, 2021

?from @gruber

“Their research shows that Facebook is doing harm to society and harm to teenagers, but what makes them threaten to leave is having their work disparaged? What a magnet for sociopaths this company is.”https://t.co/VJUPmI3Kvn

— Martin Fowler (@martinfowler) October 3, 2021

Thread: If trending can get more people interested in discussing Facebook’s heinous wrongs, let’s talk about it. This month a whistleblower approached my office to provide reports & documents about Facebook & Instagram. What they reveal is damning. 1/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

Inside Facebook, executives have called a series of emergency meetings to try to extinguish some of the outrage.

The firestorm is far from over.

This Sunday night, the ex-employee who leaked internal company material will appear on 60 Minutes on CBS.https://t.co/jVmynX0XOe

— Prairy? (@PrairyFyre) October 2, 2021

Hatebook needs to hire better spinners. How much do they pay their strategists?

This is honestly just pathetic:
he said that societal problems and political polarization have long predated the company and the advent of social networks in general. https://t.co/QdPj5sxClk

— Farah Pandith (@Farah_Pandith) October 3, 2021

Embarrassing how the tech leaders run circles around so many senators. https://t.co/OoXM2W42xF

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 1, 2021

Will you release all the Facebook research? Asks @brianstelter

And the answer is …. No

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 3, 2021

This op-ed by @Klonick raises something I’ve been thinking about around news as well. Is user engagement (in its many flavors) always the right metric for us to chase when thinking about healthy audiences? https://t.co/v9hArZH3H0 pic.twitter.com/4NKCXncFDX

— Phoebe Connelly (@phoebedoris) October 3, 2021

"As a matter of optics, it could be disastrous for Facebook, but they seem not to care about that, and they are not very adept at avoiding disastrous optics."https://t.co/V6vlO4obk0

— Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) October 1, 2021

Thread. Shorter version: Facebook, you in trouble, gurl. https://t.co/mzmjidQRkI

— Anita Creamer (@AnitaCreamer) October 3, 2021

Facebook has chosen growth over children’s mental health & wellbeing. Greed over preventing the suffering of children. 6/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

Facebook employees freaking out that social media is bad for teens while it’s just another Sunday at XBox Live, TikTok & Snapchat reminds me of Google employees staging walkouts over work considered mundane at Microsoft & Amazon.

It’s all about expectation setting or mis-setting

— Dare Obasanjo (@Carnage4Life) October 3, 2021

The senator is apparently talking about his "finsta" flub yesterday, which was one of the top trending Twitter topics.

It was a funny moment for sure.

But overall, the questioning from senators, including Blumenthal, in the hearing was the best we've seen yet. https://t.co/VDoTBDhsRh

— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) October 1, 2021

"The whistle-blower was set to say that Facebook had turned off some of its safety measures too soon after Election Day, the memo said. That allowed for misinformation to flood the platform and for groups to congregate online and plan the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol building."

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) October 3, 2021

In the transformation of tv, people often forget just how many people still tune in to 60 Minutes on NFL Sundays especially when they bridge to a topic of interest across generations. Instagram + whistleblower + scandal is gold for ratings, very bad for Facebook. @brianstelter https://t.co/QQSRSRZceH

— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 2, 2021

Clegg posted the memo internally to employees on Friday evening, after the Times published a story about the past three weeks of emergency meetings and tumult at the companyhttps://t.co/o4AMDwneJU

— rat king (@MikeIsaac) October 2, 2021

“They are making a mockery of the research” — Yeah, about those annotations Facebook provided... https://t.co/mKnPf0Qtl7

— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) October 3, 2021

FB reporters now in full Rambo mode.

It even matches the jacket. https://t.co/G1FEtI2AaA

— Antonio García Martínez (@antoniogm) October 3, 2021

Facebook has asked us to trust it, but after these evasions & revelations, why should we?

It’s clear that Facebook has done nothing to earn that trust. Not from us, not from parents, not from the public. 4/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

Watching Nick Clegg talk to @brianstelter this morning makes it profoundly obvious Facebook still has not realized the only product it actually makes is content moderation.

Everything else is a mechanism to convince *other people* to make content.

— nilay patel (@reckless) October 3, 2021

My book about anonymous speech comes out in March, so we should have about 30 bills proposing real name requirements by June. https://t.co/MFNZFV1pvT

— Jeff Kosseff (@jkosseff) September 30, 2021

"Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg have...remained behind the scenes to distance themselves from the negative press." https://t.co/GTBQg2a7ll

— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) October 3, 2021

It is a little odd that Facebook would bother to research whether or not their product is harmful given that the answer obviously isn’t going to alter their decision-making. What was the point? https://t.co/Uja20hRwuj

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 3, 2021

“Whistle-blowing gets us halfway there. We have to do the rest.” https://t.co/n5orynVnKo

— Martin Kessler (@MartinKessler91) October 1, 2021

FB's top two execs have said nothing publicly about the crisis. Zuckerberg's only public comment about any reporting has been about his hydrofoil, while he's posted about new gadgets. Sandberg held a small business panel. How long can they remain quiet?https://t.co/hjn3ziVPHX pic.twitter.com/mi37NJXB4I

— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) October 1, 2021

In truth, Facebook is using Big Tobacco’s playbook. By hiding its own research on addiction & the toxic effects of its products, it has attempted to deceive the public & Congress about what it knows, while weaponizing childhood vulnerabilities against kids. 5/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

FaceBook is a profoundly unethical company and it starts at the top, with Mark. https://t.co/qIfGLABVGS

— Grady Booch (@Grady_Booch) October 3, 2021

We now know that Facebook routinely puts profits ahead of kids’ online safety.

We know it chooses the growth of its products over the well-being of our children.

We now know it is indefensibly delinquent in acting to protect kids. 3/

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) October 1, 2021

Richard Blumenthal Was Right to Ask Facebook About “Ending Finsta”

Despite the mockery from experts, the senator knew what he was talking about.https://t.co/2I9yvXgCT6

— Jon Cooper ?? (@joncoopertweets) October 3, 2021

A plea before the whistleblower speaks tonight: don’t fall for Facebook‘s playbook of changing the conversation to be about her instead of about the documents she exposed. Any journalist/commentator who allows this to happen is doing a disservice. Speaking out is hard. Full stop. https://t.co/5mTbxBazpV

— Yael Eisenstat (@YaelEisenstat) October 3, 2021

read the memo in full, which we've embedded in the story belowhttps://t.co/9fXF0ZwxOK

— rat king (@MikeIsaac) October 2, 2021

"The whistle-blower was also set to say that Facebook then reaped record profits as its users flocked to the divisive content" https://t.co/bzfwRpvQgw

— Blake Montgomery (@blakersdozen) October 2, 2021

Facebook employees should be embarrassed.

"In one group text message chain shared with The New York Times, Facebook data scientists and researchers discussed how they were being 'embarrassed' by their own employer."https://t.co/cwE1aA9fWe

— Accountable Tech (@accountabletech) October 2, 2021

Imagine criticizing Apple for the iPhone taking blurry photos and Apple replying that, on balance, people still use the iPhone to take photos of their families. That’s Facebook right now.

— nilay patel (@reckless) October 3, 2021

Since Instagram has roughly 1 billion users, and Facebook knows - from its *own* research - that 3% of them are suffering mental health problems because of the app, that's around 30 million people. https://t.co/iMLHtKLfxr

— Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) October 2, 2021

I'll be asking @NickClegg about this on @ReliableSources in the AM... https://t.co/Q2AcKfJsvQ

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 3, 2021

I wrote @nytopinion about some of the long term takeaways for reform that came out of @JeffHorwitz's great Facebook Files series at @WSJ

Special thanks to @alexstamos & @jilliancyork who both gave me great thoughts and/or quotes that unfortunately got cuthttps://t.co/areMqXZZ4y

— Kate Klonick (@Klonick) October 1, 2021

“If Instagram can cause 3 percent of our users to report strongly negative thoughts (depression, anxiety, self-harm), I think that’s a problem worth looking into,” one employee wrote.

Instagram has roughly 1 billion users, so 3% is 30 million kids. https://t.co/jJr4TNm8iR

— Roger McNamee (@Moonalice) October 1, 2021

When you lay it out like this it sounds bad. https://t.co/4VuPBu1G8R

— John Panzer (@jpanzer) October 3, 2021

“The former employee says the documents prove the company knows its algorithms amplify polarizing and hateful content, adding that societies around the world are being torn apart.. Profit outweighs safety on Facebook, according to the former employee.” https://t.co/neMupKdu4M

— Melissa Ross (@MelissainJax) October 2, 2021

Damn. This is a siege https://t.co/QcJiH9vppV

— Venkatesh Rao (@vgr) October 3, 2021

Clever Clegg, but no one thinks FB is the PRIMARY cause, tho size creates an amplifier of unprecedented power: “What evidence there is simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media more generally, is the primary cause of polarization.” https://t.co/PQUR4EqG6l

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) October 3, 2021

Facebook Exec Confronted With Report of Whistleblower Saying the Site Contributed to January 6 Riots https://t.co/jFgSXhqCPd #SmartNews

— Janice Jhana Elks?? (@OMAHAGEMGIRL) October 3, 2021

Facebook whistleblower to accuse company of fueling Jan. 6 Capitol riot https://t.co/dyjKD7sqii pic.twitter.com/R918eWJpo1

— New York Post (@nypost) October 3, 2021

Facebook whistleblower to accuse company of fueling Jan. 6 Capitol riot https://t.co/XT74DNik62 via @nypost

— Chris ?? (@Chris_1791) October 3, 2021

See also—

"Facebook spent $9.5 million on federal lobbying in the first half of 2021"@IsaiahPoritz for @OpenSecretsDChttps://t.co/DnfZ1hn656

— Zach Everson (@Z_Everson) October 1, 2021

#ZuckerbergIsATraitor Facebook Whistleblower Expected To Say Company Contributed To Capitol Riots on '60 Minutes' - Benzinga https://t.co/UjM2nXpRFR

— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) October 3, 2021

Not surprising. Mark Zuckerberg clearly stated it’s OK to run a political ad that lies (knowing full well that lying is a Republican staple)
Promoting/funding/supporting the #CapitolRiot is almost a given for Zuckerberg. Now there’s evidence and a witness https://t.co/ypz6xn20rP

— BigBlueWaveUSA 2022 #StopVoterSuppression (@BigBlueWaveUSA) October 3, 2021

She said the internal documents show that the company is aware that its practices “amplify” polarization and spread hate in society, but looks the other way for profit.https://t.co/Qkovk3GPly

— James Plowman (@plowmanj3) October 3, 2021

Facebook whistleblower to accuse company of fueling Jan. 6 Capitol riot https://t.co/ipfM1e3Mnm via @nypost

— Robert Passaro ???? (@Passaro5738) October 3, 2021