the narrative that Facebook is awful but they can be better is extremely dangerous in this moment of global movement. It leads to regulation Facebook itself promotes rather than fixing governance, core surveillance capitalism biz model and market power issues of the company. /1
"the buck stops with Mark" - Facebook whistleblower with the exact same five words we heard from Facebook's CTO when he testified to UK Parliament in 2018 although oddly a Facebook executive last week would no longer say this. /2
Senator Blackburn just said "Facebook sells the data" [to advertisers] which is likely to trigger Facebook, Inc and its comms team. Reality is the definition of "sell" matters here and Facebook and Sheryl Sandberg have made it a 3rd rail, red line talking point since 2010. /3
See? Turn back the clock over eleven years, $400 billion in advertising and about 3 billion users ago. /4
When you hear questions about engagement-based rankings and filters these are smart questions - @SenJohnThune now - and can be taken down a path of partisanship. But as you'll see this is a bipartisan concern downstream from dominant market power and abuse available due to it. /5
Note how whistleblower made point about engagement-based rankings and responsibility for them in the context of CDA230. That's a smart and necessary distinction. She points out if Facebook was liable for amplification decisions, they would eliminate engagement-based rankings. /6
and @SenatorCantwell asking question whether there may also be advertising fraud here. The whistleblower's filed SEC complaint regarding "Facebook reach" is directly relevant and - full disclosure - we've worked to unseal internal comms in a related fraud case in California. /7
It's worth noting facebook employees seem to be silent on Twitter during the hearing except for their lapdog spokesperson who wants you to know that the fact the witness didn't work directly on an issue, he thinks it undermines the evidence and her knowledge of this issue. /8 
While in recess, I just did a quick cable news interview.
- this is evidence from "inside building" supporting regulatory, accountability efforts happening globally
- core issues: surveillance capitalism biz model + market power
- the company and leadership cannot be trusted /9
- this is evidence from "inside building" supporting regulatory, accountability efforts happening globally
- core issues: surveillance capitalism biz model + market power
- the company and leadership cannot be trusted /9
this is a helpful way to navigate the actual SEC complaints (ht @ScottMonty). Now that they firehosed the public with them it requires press, watchdogs to dig down deep and find time to review and report on them. I bet 95+% of it is new evidence. /10 flipboard.com/@scottmonty/8-…
We're back. Whistleblower making important point about Facebook's unprecedented growth and margins have lots of room for a bit less profit and a lot more civil society. Sheryl Sandberg showed her $ greed in 2018 scandals threatening they may have have to charge for Facebook. /11
the largest, most influential gathering of US marketers just opened its annual gathering of thousands of leading minds in advertising. I really want to know what they think of this concurrent Facebook whistleblower hearing on how FB uses their $100bil in annual investment. /12
Speaking of advertisers, every dollar they spend is an economic signal of confidence in Facebook, its leadership and its services including Instagram. They should play this exchange to their board of directors. /13
Very important point to understand…gets at why unbridled surveillance combined with microtargeting provides accelerated velocity and reach for harmful posts while suppressing “counter-speech” as users only see what will engage them but avoid positive social dynamics. /14
Super sensitive to criticizing brave whistleblower but she keeps advocating against antitrust which is weird and wrong. FB’s eroding blue app will be forced to compete without Insta and Insta is weaker without Facebook’s surveillance machines. Biggest threat to company. /15
“I am deeply concerned” - Facebook whistleblower regarding NYU academics being blocked from researching the platform in nod to @LauraEdelson2 who was blocked hours after calling Facebook re: data from January 6th matters. /16
I wish in the constant analogy of Facebook to big tobacco people would point out that tobacco causes cancer which last I checked isn’t contagious, the second hand-effects of Facebook are a lot more dangerous than second-hand smoke and cigarettes never threatened democracy. /17
Concluded. She did an incredible job. Grateful for her bravery. My only quibble is on her very specific advocacy against antitrust enforcement but she’s not running the FTC and earned her right to an opinion. She did say parents and kids need more choices so there is that. /eof
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