This piece by @_KarenHao is a must read if you care about how Facebook effects democracy, and why the company has (intentionally) not tackled the core problems. I was hired just after the Cambridge Analytica scandal to help "fix it". A few observations 1/ technologyreview.com/2021/03/11/102…
When I was at Facebook, I couldn't understand why none of the things I tried to ask/do/explore--combating disinfo in political ads, building voter suppression plan--and was specifically hired to do were rejected or ignored. This paragraph confirms what I've been saying since. 2/ 
Those of us (and there are many) who argue that Facebook's engagement obsession fuels division and, as my TED talk claims, is helping radicalize people at a speed not seen before, have often been discounted or painted as misguided. Looks like Facebook knew this as well. 👇🏽3/
Again, Facebook knew it prioritized harmful content, including misinformation about the election, and didn't take appropriate steps to fix it. Why? Because, as I've repeatedly said, they didn't want to harm their own growth or anger those with the power to regulate them. 4/
Bottom line: we have left it to Facebook to “self-regulate” again and again, despite scandal after scandal. When will we learn? Currently, there is nothing incentivizing them to put democracy+society+health above power+growth+profit. This must change. The constant... 5/
...“we know we have to do better” PR points…none of it ever addresses the core issue: It’s the business model. It always has been. And it's government’s job to impose costs on those externalities. How much more proof do we need? When will we demand that our representatives...6/
...prioritize this? Yes, there are positive things Facebook does. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t protect against the bad. There're no easy, magical fixes, but that’s no excuse. It's time for government to step up and incentivize a healthier information ecosystem. Enough. 7/
ergh. *affects.... the nerd in me is cringing at that spelling error.
Really Facebook, this is your response to @_KarenHao's comprehensive piece? Obvious question: why ISN'T your Responsible AI team working on misinformation? But beyond that, clearly her investigation and reporting took her to this conclusion, as opposed to what FB was hoping. 8/
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