WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 5: Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies ... [+]
10-25-21- The story was updated with information about Mark Zuckerberg complying with Vietnam’s censorship demands.
Criticism of Facebook continues on an almost daily basis. And things are not likely to get better for the social media giant anytime soon. On Monday, whistleblower Frances Haugen will be in London to answer questions from British lawmakers. Her testimony can be expected to generate a new round of bad publicity for Mark Zuckerberg and his company.
Based on the latest news reports, many of the crisis situations Facebook has faced and is continuing to encounter appear to be a self-inflicted and created by the company’s own activities, decisions, policies and procedures.
Complying With Censorship Demands
According to the Washington Post on Monday, last year Zuckerberg complied “with demands from Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party to censor anti-government dissidents or risk getting knocked offline in one of Facebook’s most lucrative Asian markets.”
Worse Elsewhere
As the Washington Post reported Sunday, “For all of Facebook’s troubles in North America, its problems with hate speech and disinformation are dramatically worse in the developing world. Internal company documents made public Saturday reveal that Facebook has meticulously studied its approach abroad—and was well aware that weaker moderation in non-English-speaking countries leaves the platform vulnerable to abuse by bad actors and authoritarian regimes.’’
Political Considerations
Also on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal said in a headline that “Facebook’s Internal Chat Boards Show Politics Often at Center of Decision Making”.
‘’Employees allege content rules aren’t enforced for Breitbart and other right-wing publishers for fear of public blowback, and management expresses wariness of appearing biased, according to internal documents,’’ the Journal reported.
‘Attitudes On Regulation A Sham’
Politico reported that, “Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Sunday tore into Facebook, calling the company’s stated attitudes on regulation a sham.
“Speaking on “Reliable Sources” on CNN, Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, “What we are hearing from Facebook is platitudes and bromides. When it says it wants regulation, at the same time it is fighting that regulation tooth and nail, day and night, with armies of lawyers, millions of dollars in lobbying. And so, I must say, Facebook saying it wants regulation is the height of disingenuousness.“
Transparency Urged
Facebook Oversight Board member and PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel emphasized that the platform must do a better job with transparency.
CNN reported, ‘’The Oversight Board's first report, released last week, revealed that the group of independent content moderators prompted Facebook to restore more than 30 pieces of content covering major issues. It also found users are often in the dark when content is removed by Facebook, and don't know why they've been banned or had their content taken down.
"The Facebook team treats individuals as users, not as customers, so there's no sort of customer service," Nossel said on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday. "I don't want Facebook to just wipe content out without any explanation. I want people to have a recourse if they believe their ability to express themselves has been unjustifiably impaired."
Safeguards Removed
Bloomberg, CNN, the Associated Press, Washington Post, Journal and New York Times reported that Facebook removed “safeguards” to halt the spread of election misinformation after Election Day before of the January 6 attack.
Employees Voiced Early Concerns
According to the New York Post yesterday, “Facebook knew that the spread of political misinformation was flourishing on its platform – but the company largely failed to address concerns from employees who raised alarms, a report found.
‘Workers flagged the rampant conspiracy theories and proliferation of QAnon-related content before the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6 siege on the US Capitol, according to new internal documents obtained by the New York Times.
“But employees’ calls to action sparked by false claims about the election results were either ignored or mishandled, the Times said.”
Another Whistleblower
According to The Verge, “A second Facebook whistleblower has come forward with a new set of allegations about how the social media platform does business.
‘’First reported by the Washington Post, the person is a former member of Facebook’s integrity team and says the company puts profits before efforts to fight hate speech and misinformation on its platform.’’
Reorganization
Bad publicity and damage to a company’s image, reputation, credibility and brand can take a heavy toll on organizations. That could very well be the reason behind Facebook’s reported plans to restructure itself.
As Forbes reported earlier, “Citing an anonymous source, The Verge reported Facebook is planning to change its company name to facilitate a broader shift toward creating a “metaverse,” an idea for a world that blurs the lines between the digital and the physical.
“Similar to Google’s relaunch as Alphabet in 2015, Facebook will reportedly create a new company which will encompass all its existing brands, including Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus (Facebook told Forbes it will not comment on “rumor or speculation”).”
But Facebook’s challenges and crises are not likely to be resolved with a new organization chart or rebranding campaign. Their problems obviously run much deeper than that.
More Bad News On The Way?
Yahoo News reported today, “There might be more alarming Facebook headlines in the works — and the company is apparently steeling itself for that likelihood.
According to a post obtained by Axios, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg told staffers Saturday that "we need to steel ourselves for more bad headlines in the coming days, I'm afraid." Clegg warned that the new coverage would likely "contain mischaracterizations of our research, our motives and where our priorities lie," and told employees to "listen and learn from criticism when it is fair, and push back strongly when it is not," per Axios. "But, above all else," the VP wrote, "we should keep our heads held high and do the work we came here to do."
Advice For Business Leaders
- Pay close attention to the concerns and criticisms of your employees. They can often serve as an early warning system about issues and problems that can turn into a full-blown crisis.
- Learn from your mistakes, and immediately apply those lessons to help mitigate or prevent future crisis situations.
- Don’t let political considerations affect how you manage or respond to a crisis.
- Identify all the resources you need to address a crisis, and do not hesitate to use them as soon as possible. The longer companies wait to tackle a crisis head-on, the worse it it is likely to get.
