Technology

Facebook whistleblower testifies before a Senate panel

4:51pm October 05, 2021

by Shannon Bond

Former Facebook data scientist Frances Haugen is testifying before a Senate Commerce subcommittee about why she copied and leaked thousands of pages of sensitive internal research.

Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen testified before a Senate subcommittee after leaking internal research showing the company knew about Instagram's negative impact on some teens. She says that Facebook consistently chooses profit over safety.

Politics & Government

Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy

1:28pm October 05, 2021

by Shannon Bond

A former Facebook employee compared the social network to Big Tobacco at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, saying the company has hidden what it knows about the problems its products cause.

An update to Facebook's routers that coordinate network traffic went wrong on Monday, sending a wave of disruption and effectively shutting down Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

National

Why Facebook and Instagram went down for hours on Monday

12:42pm October 05, 2021

When a company can't use the internet's core protocols, it's as if its online domains simply don't exist. That happened to Facebook, creating a cascade of problems.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will testify before the Senate today

7:56am October 05, 2021

The Facebook whistleblower testifies before a Senate subcommittee today. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal will be chairing that hearing and in advance of it he speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Facebook pushes back on whistleblower claims it's endangering users

7:53am October 05, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to the VP of Content Policy at Facebook, Monika Bickert, who responds the whistleblower allegations by that suggest the company prioritizes profits over the safety.

Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell was first elected at age 21 and is now the co-founder of an organization looking to recruit fellow young conservatives to seek public office.

Politics & Government

Snapchat is adding a feature to help young users run for political office

6:25am October 05, 2021

by Juana Summers

The initiative helps connect users with information, tools and connections if they want to launch their own campaigns. Republicans and Democrats are partnering with Snapchat's parent company.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., (second from right) looks on as Facebook's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, testifies remotely on Thursday at a Senate subcommittee hearing to examine protection of children online, focusing on Facebook, Instagram a

What Sen. Blumenthal's 'finsta' flub says about Congress' grasp of Big Tech

9:02pm October 04, 2021

by Alana Wise

The internet pounced on a senator's clumsy ask that Facebook end "finsta," but there was more to take away from a recent hearing about how Congress understands Big Tech.

Facebook responds to whistleblower's claim that company chose profits over the public

5:13pm October 04, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Neil Potts, Facebook vice president for trust and security, about internal documents leaked by a company whistleblower.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen talks with CBS' Scott Pelley on a 60 Minutes episode that aired Sunday.

Facebook's new whistleblower is renewing scrutiny of the social media giant

11:53am October 04, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Facebook could be facing its biggest scandal yet as a former employee comes forward to expose some of the company's secrets.

Facebook whistleblower says the social media giant is putting profit over user safety

4:55am October 04, 2021

by Bobby Allyn

A Facebook whistleblower has revealed that the social media giant tried to hide evidence that suggested it knew the platform was used to spread hate, violence and misinformation.