Key points:

  • Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has announced the launch of a non-profit today
  • The non-profit is aimed toward creating a safe, non-toxic, and healthier social media environment
  • The non-profit “Beyond the Screen” will begin by creating an open-source database. The database will include all the key data about how Big Tech is failing in its ethical and legal obligation to society
  • Frances Haugen had leaked thousands of pages, becoming Facebook’s public enemy number one. Since then, she has fervently worked toward introducing laws in the U.S. and other countries to ensure social media is safer for kids

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee-turned whistleblower has announced the launch of a non-profit organization called “Beyond the Screen.” Her goal is to make social media safer and a healthy place.

Since parting ways with the social media giant, Haugen has put in some serious work to introduce laws in the U.S. and other parts of the world to make social media safer and healthier for kids.

She garnered noteworthy attention after leaking Facebook’s internal documents. Haugen revealed her identity on “60 Minutes” in 2021.

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More about Haugen’s non-profit

It appears that “Beyond the Secret” was founded on a host of solutions Haugen proposed to social media companies and lawmakers regarding how to make social media a safer place. Her solutions are primarily based on her experience while working with Facebook’s civic misinformation team as a product manager.

A press release stated that “Beyond the Dream” will create an open-source database. The database will include all the key data one needs to know about how “Big Tech” is consciously failing to fulfil its ethical and legal obligations to society. The group has called this a “Duty of Care” project. The project is intended to identify loopholes and drawbacks in research conducted on online harm and find solutions to address these problems.

Haugen vs Facebook, what exactly happened?

As mentioned earlier, Haugen has leaked thousands of pages of Facebook’s internal documents. Now, Haugen has submitted the documents to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). This was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. But what did Haugen leak?

The documents turned over by Haugen state Facebook was aware of its product’s negative impact on kids and teens. In addition, there were details regarding the different content moderation standards for high-profile accounts. Last, the documents also included information regarding how the company is struggling to flag potentially harmful content in different cultural contexts and languages.

In its defence, Facebook said that the documents were handpicked and presented in a manner in which the positive interpretations of the data are not reflected.

We will have to wait to find out whether Haugen’s new venture will create a safe haven for kids on social media.

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Feature Image Source: Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash