Whistleblower says Facebook is trying to be more like TikTok and it’s a bad idea. Frances Haugen, the famous Facebook whistleblower is weighing in on the social media platforms’ efforts to compete with short form video platform TikTok.
Whistleblower Says Facebook Is Trying to Be More like TikTok
Facebook whistleblower of the name, Frances Haugen is not a fan of how Facebook is trying to be more like the TikTok app.
Haugen on Tuesday at the Vox Media Code Conference said that “The world that they’re choosing to go towards is one where you have to do censorship to be safe and I think that’s a bad idea.”
Facebook back in July revamped its home feed to add a new artificial tab that is powered by artificial intelligence. This very tab recommends short videos known as reels and photos and videos that vanish from the platform in 24 hours’ time to its users. This change makes the platform very synonymous with TikTok which is an app that is very famous among teens.
Instagram Has Been Doubling Down On Videos Lately
Meta owned Instagram also has been doubling down on videos on its platforms and thus prompting criticism from high-profile users of the platforms such as celebrity sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner who says they only want to see photos from friends and family.
TikTok Algorithm Has Sparked Concerns on Leading Users to Potentially Harmful Content
The TikTok social media platform is famous for recommending videos they think users will find interest in on the ‘For You’ page on the app. The algorithm of the TikTok app, however, has sparked concerns that the platform is sending users down a path of potentially harmful content such as videos containing eating disorder content.
When asked (Haugen) about the plans of Facebook to compete with TikTok at the Code Conference, she pointed out that years ago, TikTok admitted that it restricted posts made by users who it identified as fat, disabled, or LGBTQ as part of a temporary effort in a bid to combat bullying on the platform.
The whistleblower also added that internal studies carried out have shown that if Facebook showed more content from friends and family, groups they joined, and pages that they follow, then they would see less violence and hate speech on their feed on the platform.
Haugen Collected Tons of Internal Documents and Research from Facebook In 2021
Just before she left her job at the social media platform back in 2021, Haugen collected tons of internal documents and research from Facebook. She then after the time files many whistleblower complaints that allege Facebook to be prioritizing making cash over the safety of users thus prompting US lawmakers to deeply look more at issues such as the impact of social media on the mental health of children and teens. The wall street journal on the other hand including other many news outlets and platforms such as CNET accessed the internal documents.
Meta Says It Will Stop Testing Full-Screen Feed
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has since been responding to some of the criticism that it has received about trying to look too much like TikTok. Instagram back in July cited that it will stop testing a full-screen feed and decrease the number of recommendations that users see in their feed temporarily.
