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Facebook Is Misleading the Public on Progress Against Hate Speech, Violence, Misinformation

Oct 2021 🇺🇸 CBS News (60 Minutes)

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In this CBS News 60 Minutes interview with correspondent Scott Pelley, Haugen first revealed her identity as the source behind the Facebook Files reporting. She described internal Facebook estimates that its systems catch only a small share of hate speech and violence-and-incitement content despite public claims of strong enforcement, and said a 2018 algorithm change tied ranking more closely to engagement — which she said is linked to more divisive, polarizing content circulating. She also described internal survey research, later cited in her congressional testimony, in which some teen girl respondents associated their Instagram use with a worsening of suicidal thoughts and eating-disorder symptoms. TechKids Foundation cites this as the interview that made her disclosures broadly public before her Senate appearance two days later.

~13.5% of surveyed teen girls

Internal Instagram survey research Haugen described found that about 13.5% of teen girl respondents who reported suicidal thoughts said Instagram was associated with a worsening of those thoughts, per her account in the interview.

~17% of surveyed teen girls

The same disclosed research found roughly 17% of teen girl respondents with eating disorders said Instagram use was associated with a worsening of their eating-disorder symptoms, per Haugen.

3-5% of hate speech; ~0.6% of violence/incitement content

Haugen said Facebook's own internal estimates found its detection systems catch only about 3 to 5% of hate speech and about six-tenths of one percent of violence-and-incitement content, despite public statements about enforcement effectiveness.

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CITATION

Pelley, Scott. 'Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation.' 60 Minutes, CBS News, October 3, 2021 (Frances Haugen interview).

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