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☆ Mark Zuckerberg's apology is 'the least that he could do', says Meta whistleblower Arturo Béjar
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMark Zuckerberg's apology is 'the least that he could do', says Meta whistleblower Arturo BéjarArturo Béjar, former Facebook engineering director and former Instagram consultant, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the Senate child-safety hearing with top social media CEOs, key takeaways from their testimonies, what companies can do to safeguard their apps, and more.

Persons: Mark, Arturo Béjar Arturo Béjar Organizations: Facebook

☆ Big Tech executives to appear at Senate hearing to defend social media’s impact on teens
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Zuckerberg is expected to tout the company’s more than 30 safety controls, according to prepared testimony released ahead of the hearing. In recent weeks, Meta has also begun hiding more “age-inappropriate” content in teens’ feeds and restricting teens from receiving direct messages from people they don’t follow. Ideally, Clegg said, Zuckerberg would authorize as many as 124 new hires, but acknowledged that financial pressures could make it difficult. After months of radio silence from Zuckerberg, Clegg tried to follow up, this time with a slimmed-down proposal that envisioned either 25 new hires or, if even that was infeasible, just seven. “This would be the bare minimum needed to meet basic policymaker inquiries,” Clegg wrote to Zuckerberg on Nov. 10, 2021.

Persons: “ We’re, ” Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Rosemarie Calvoni, Meta, Calvoni, ”, ” Calvoni, Arturo Béjar, ’, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Sheryl Sandberg, Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Clegg —, —, Clegg, ” Clegg, Sandberg, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Meta, Twitter, ” Connecticut Democratic, Facebook, Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican, Global Affairs Locations: ” Connecticut, Massachusetts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Newly unredacted documents from New Mexico's lawsuit against Meta underscore the company's “historical reluctance” to keep children safe on its platforms, the complaint says. Child safety is an explicit non-goal this half” (likely meaning half-year), according to the lawsuit. A March 2021 child safety presentation noted that Meta is “underinvested in minor sexualization on (Instagram), notable on sexualized comments on content posted by minors. Last week, the company announced it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, including posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of Snap, Discord, TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, are scheduled to testify before the U.S. Senate on child safety at the end of January.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Meta, Meta “, ”, Instagram, ” Instagram, Arturo Béjar, “, it’s, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: FRANCISCO, Meta, Facebook, Apple, ”, National Center for, U.S . Senate Locations: New, —, Instagram, Menlo Park , California

☆ Ads for Match Group and Walmart ran alongside disturbing content on Meta’s platforms, court documents claim
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Wednesday’s filing alleges that Match Group cut its advertising spending on Meta’s platforms over its concerns. Wednesday’s complaint cites an alleged email exchange between Match and Meta late last year in which the dating company asked how Meta prevented its ads from running next to inappropriate content. Meta responded saying it had removed some of the flagged content, including the group, the complaint states. Former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Arturo Bejar also told a Senate subcommittee in November that Meta’s top executives, including Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harm to teens on its platforms. Zuckerberg and Meta are refusing to be honest and transparent about what is taking place on Meta’s platforms,” Torrez said in a statement to CNN Wednesday.

Persons: General Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, ” Meta, Andy Stone, “, we’ve, provocatively, Harley Davidson, ”, Zuckerberg, Arturo Bejar, Mr, Meta’s Stone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Group, Walmart, Meta, CNN, Wall, Facebook, Wednesday Locations: New York, New Mexico, Mexico, “, TikTok

☆ Meta says it will restrict content for teens, as complaints mount about harmful effects on youth
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, attends a U.S. Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2023. Meta said Tuesday it will limit the type of content that teenagers on Facebook and Instagram are able to see, as the company faces mounting claims that its products are addictive and harmful to the mental well-being of younger users. In a blog post, Meta said the new protections are designed "to give teens more age-appropriate experiences on our apps." Similar complaints have dogged the company since 2021, before it changed its name from Facebook to Meta. Haugen later testified to a Senate panel that Facebook consistently puts its own profits over users' health and safety, largely due to algorithms that steered users toward high-engagement posts.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Letitia James, Arturo Bejar, Francis Haugen, Haugen, hasn't Organizations: Meta, U.S, Senate, Intelligence, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Facebook, New York Locations: Washington ,

☆ Senators demand documents from Meta on social media harm to children
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed Instagram logo in this illustration taken April 4, 2023. Senators has written to Meta Platforms (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding documents about its research into the harm to children from its social media platforms. A whistleblower's release of documents in 2021 showed Meta knew Instagram, which began as a photo-sharing app, was addictive and worsened body image issues for some teen girls. The letter follows a hearing with a new whistleblower last week and after a newly unsealed complaint filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General, the senators said. Dozens of U.S. states are also suing Meta and its Instagram unit, accusing them of fueling a youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Arturo Béjar's, Akash Sriram, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: REUTERS, Senators, Meta, Thomson Locations: U.S, Massachusetts, Bengaluru

☆ US senators demand documents from Meta over its handling of teen mental health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —A group of US senators is demanding that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hand over troves of emails and documents that could show how the company handled the knowledge that its platforms could harm the mental health of teens. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said that the company is in touch with the members who signed the letter. The letter further accuses Meta of showing an “apparent willful disregard” for young people’s well-being, of “misrepresentations to Congress” and of “profiting from threats” to user safety. The letter requests a response by Nov. 30 and calls for Meta to provide its correspondence related to Bejar’s warnings to executives, as well as senior leaders’ own correspondence with Zuckerberg about proposed investments in user well-being.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, ”, Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn, Dick Durbin, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Andrea Joy Campbell, didn’t, Andy Stone, people’s, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, Facebook, Connecticut Democrat, Tennessee Republican, South Carolina Republican, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts Democrat, Missouri Republican, Meta Locations: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham ; Massachusetts, Missouri

☆ We can't trust Instagram with our teens over child safety: Former Instagram consultant Arturo Béjar
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe can't trust Instagram with our teens over child safety: Former Instagram consultant Arturo BéjarArturo Béjar, former Facebook engineering director and former Instagram consultant, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss his testimony to Congress on Meta's child safety gap, the harmful effects of Instagram on teenage users, the lack of action from the social media company, and more.

Persons: Arturo Béjar Arturo Béjar Organizations: Facebook

☆ Mark Zuckerberg ignored teen and user safety warnings from Meta executives
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The disclosures highlight Zuckerberg’s sway over decisions at Meta that can affect billions of users. And they also shed light on tensions that have occasionally arisen between Zuckerberg and other Meta officials who have pushed to enhance user well-being. In response to the newly unsealed communications, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said such image filters are commonly used in the industry. “These unreacted documents prove that Mark Zuckerberg is not interested in protecting anyone’s privacy or safety. “Clegg’s comments follow a pattern and practice at Meta where employees repeatedly flagged under-investment in well-being tools, despite having the research,” Qureshi said.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, —, Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Karina Newton, Fidji Simo, Margaret Gould Stewart, Simo, Mosseri, Stewart, Newton, Andrew Bosworth, Andy Stone, ” Stone, “, Stone, Meta, Clegg, Frances, Instagram, Haugen, ” Zuckerberg, Susan Li, Li, David Ginsberg, Ginsburg, Li “, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Instagram’s, ” Bejar, I’ve, ”, Sacha Haworth, Zamaan Qureshi, ” Qureshi Organizations: CNN —, Facebook, Global Affairs, Massachusetts, Meta, CNN, ” Tech, Technology, Tech Locations: Massachusetts, United States, Mosseri

☆ Meta failed to act to protect teens, second whistleblower testifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A second Meta whistleblower testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, this time describing his fruitless efforts to flag the extent of harmful effects its platforms could have on teens to top leadership at the company. Meta leadership was aware of prevalent harms to its youngest users but declined to take adequate action to address it, Bejar told lawmakers on Tuesday. "When I returned in 2019, I thought they didn't know," Bejar testified. Part of the issue, according to Bejar, is that Meta directs resources toward tackling a "very narrow definition of harm." If one user restricts a second user, only the second user will be able to see their own comments on user one's posts.

Persons: Arturo Bejar, Instagram, Bejar, Frances Haugen, Blumenthal, Chris Cox, Cox, Haugen, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Mosseri, Zuckerberg, he'd, Sandberg, Mosseri, Andy Stone, Stone Organizations: Facebook, Privacy, Technology, Capitol, Lawmakers, Law, Meta, Senate Locations: Washington

☆ Former Meta employee tells Senate company failed to protect teens' safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. The employee, Arturo Bejar, worked on well-being for Instagram from 2019 to 2021 and earlier was a director of engineering for Facebook's Protect and Care team from 2009 to 2015, he said. "Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online," the Meta statement said. In his testimony, Bejar recounted that in one meeting Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox was able to cite precise statistics on teen harms off the top of his head. "I found it heartbreaking because it meant that they knew and that they were not acting on it," said Bejar.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Chris Cox, Katie Paul, Kenneth Li, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Meta, REUTERS, Facebook, Facebook's, Care, Privacy, Technology, Wall Street, Thomson

Béjar points to user perception surveys that show, for instance, that 13% of Instagram users — ages 13-15 — reported having received unwanted sexual advances on the platform within the previous seven days. Béjar said he doesn’t believe the reforms he’s suggesting would significantly affect revenue or profits for Meta and its peers. Meta, in a statement, said “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online. Today's testimony comes just two weeks after dozens of U.S. states sued Meta for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuits, filed in state and federal courts, claim that Meta knowingly and deliberately designs features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Persons: Frances Haugen, Arturo Béjar, Mark Zuckerberg, ‘, ”, “, ” Béjar, Zuckerberg, Instagram, Béjar, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, —, doesn’t, ’, Meta Organizations: Facebook, Wall Street, Meta, Associated Press, Connecticut Democrat, AP, “ Locations: Connecticut, Missouri

☆ Meta ignored warnings on Instagram’s harm to teens, whistleblower says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Meta’s top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harms to teens on its platforms such as Instagram, a company whistleblower told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. Meanwhile, both parties have united behind blaming Meta for contributing to a nationwide mental health crisis. Bejar’s research “is basically a smoking gun,” Haugen told CNN in an interview Tuesday. “Every day countless people inside and outside of Meta are working on how to help keep young people safe online,” said Meta spokesman Andy Stone in a statement. He said everyday Americans understand “the harm being done” and compared it to harms from smoking.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Arturo Bejar, Bejar, Zuckerberg, Bejar’s, ” Bejar, Frances Haugen, Instagram, ” Haugen, “, Sheryl Sandberg, ”, Andy Stone, Stone, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal ., Josh Hawley, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Adam Mosseri, Sandberg, Chris Cox, Mosseri, ” Blackburn, Louisiana Republican Sen, John Kennedy, we’re, ” Meta, Blumenthal, Cox, Haugen, Hawley, ” Blumenthal, ” CNN’s Samantha Kelly Organizations: Washington CNN, Washington CNN — Meta’s, Facebook, Wall, Meta, CNN, Connecticut Democratic, Big Tech, Tennessee Republican, Louisiana Republican, Wall Street, “ Big Tech, Tobacco Locations: Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal . Missouri, Instagram

☆ His Job Was to Make Instagram Safe for Teens. His 14-Year-Old Showed Him What the App Was Really Like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jeff Horwitz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In the fall of 2021 a consultant named Arturo Bejar sent Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg an unusual note. “I wanted to bring to your attention what l believe is a critical gap in how we as a company approach harm, and how the people we serve experience it,” he began. Though Meta regularly issued public reports suggesting that it was largely on top of safety issues on its platforms, he wrote, the company was deluding itself.

Persons: Arturo Bejar, Mark Zuckerberg, “, ”, Meta Organizations: Meta

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