Facebook whistelblower Haugen says protecting kids on socials is ‘not impossible’ [Video]

TORONTO –

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen feels “extremely hopeful” about society’s ability to push social media platforms into being safer but for change to come, she says these companies need to be motivated in a new way.

“We are not powerless,” said Haugen in an interview during a visit to Toronto, where she was due to speak at a conference aimed at online safety for kids.

“These systems are not impossible to fix. It’s just we lack the incentives today to have these platforms act in a positive way.”

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Haugen’s criticism of social media platforms and the broader societal systems that have fostered them has mounted over the course of her more than 20 years in tech, including stops at Google, Hinge, Yelp and Pinterest.

She reached a brink in 2021 and disclosed thousands of internal …