Whistleblower Haugen: More Facebook revelations to come | Abroad

“More disclosures will follow,” said Tye, who himself went public in 2014 as a whistleblower about US government surveillance practices. Haugen said last week that Facebook knows from its own research that its apps, such as Instagram, are damaging the mental health of some young users. Haugen would also have seen time and again during her time at the company that Facebook thought profit was more important than social aspects.

Tye reports that Haugen’s criticism in recent days has led to a “big increase” in the number of (former) Facebook employees who have approached his law firm and may want to act as whistleblowers themselves. Not only would his team want to try to tackle Facebook in the US, legal proceedings are also being considered in France and Great Britain. “There is a lot of interest in Europe,” said Tye.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded on Tuesday to Haugen’s criticism, saying it is “just not true” that Facebook would put profits above user safety. In a lengthy statement on his Facebook account, he also defended himself against recent criticism about Facebook’s influence on the mental health of children and teens in particular.

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