Frances Haugen, the well-known whistleblower of Facebook, has settled in Brussels to visit the European institutions. European decision-makers are counting on her testimony to bolster their plans for stronger regulation of the tech giants.
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“We have seen the impact that the big platforms can have on our democracies and societies, more specifically on the well-being of our children,” said European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton following his meeting with Haugen. He thanked the whistleblower for her “unwavering dedication”.
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At the end of last year, the European Commission presented two legislative proposals to put an end to “what still looks like a digital Far West”, as Breton described the lack of regulation in the digital world. He hopes that the European Parliament and member states can pass the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the first half of 2022.
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MEPs want to use their hearing with Haugen, who also appeared before the American and British parliaments, to gain more insight into the techniques that Facebook and other “gatekeepers” on the internet use to control information flows.
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Tom Vandenkdelaere (CD&V), for example, wants to know how governments can get a grip on the algorithms that control what users see. “How can we ensure that we are always one step ahead, as algorithms will continue to evolve?” He also wonders whether governments can set limits on the data that Facebook and co. to provide input to their algorithms.
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Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, has accused Mark Zuckerberg’s company of putting profit before the safety and well-being of its users. Among other things, she denounces the psychological problems of adolescents who are overexposed to the lives and bodies of seemingly “perfect” influencers on Instagram.
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Haugen also had a meeting with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels, where the transparency of algorithms and the responsibilities of the tech giants were also discussed. Afterwards, the prime minister praised Haugen’s “courageous fight” “for a safe digital space where fundamental rights are better protected”.
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