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News

The Facebook Papers show just how big it’s become

You’re probably seeing the Facebook Papers, a cache of internal documents and a series of stories based on them, everywhere today.

News

The Facebook Papers show just how big it’s become

By Murad Hemmadi
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen on Capitol Hill in October 2021 in Washington. Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Oct 25, 2021
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You’re probably seeing the Facebook Papers, a cache of internal documents and a series of stories based on them, everywhere today.

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, provided a trove of documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Congress and 17 U.S. news outlets. On Monday, she also told a U.K. parliamentary committee that staff working on counter-espionage had been “told to accept under-resourcing.” Here are two findings from the documents that stand out:

One next billion: Facebook makes much of its money on its home turf, but gets most of its clicks outside it. Nearly half of its US$29 billion in revenue in its fiscal second quarter came from the U.S. and Canada, but almost three-quarters of its over 1.9 billion daily active users are outside those countries and Europe. Moderation follows the money, not the population, the documents suggest.

A test account designed to mimic a user from southern India took all of the recommendations made by Facebook’s algorithm for which content to consume and groups to join. It ended up with a “near constant barrage of polarizing nationalist content, misinformation, and violence and gore” in its News Feed. India is Facebook’s largest market; previous reporting raised concerns that it favoured politicians and partisans from the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Internal studies reported Monday suggest the company has faced issues with misinformation and fake accounts in India, and ex-employees say it hasn’t dedicated the necessary resources to address country-specific problems. Stories have also spotlighted content-moderation shortfalls in Arabic, Pashto and Dari; Amharic and Oromo; and Bengali, Burmese, Hindi and Urdu. Facebook has said it’s spending on tech to curb hate speech in many languages, and that it addresses abuse outside the U.S. just as rigorously as at home.

Two next billion: Teens under 18 aren’t using “Big Blue”—the company’s sobriquet for its core app—as much as their older cousins, and the firm is concerned, internal reports suggest. Falling engagement is a “significant risk,” per one document. By failing to break out demographic data, Facebook has “misrepresented core metrics to investors and advisors,” Haugen’s SEC complaint alleges. The company said its disclosures are sufficient.

But the youth issue also highlights the reach of Facebook’s other holdings. Almost every U.S. teen has an Instagram account, and young people rank both apps highly when they’re thinking about where to share or connect. “We do have one of the top social products—with growing market share—almost everywhere,” states a June 2018 presentation. “Things are not great yet, but there is a visible path to greatness.”

Facebook said: “A curated selection out of millions of documents at Facebook can in no way be used to draw fair conclusions about us,” tweeted John Pinette, vice-president of communications, on Oct. 18.

The market said: Facebook shares closed up 1.26 per cent ahead of the company’s third-quarter earnings call later Monday. Here are all the Facebook Papers stories so far.

#Facebook

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Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

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