Sophie Zhang, a former Facebook data scientist, has disclosed a 6600-word memo alleging that the social media giant overlooked blatant political manipulation on its platform. Zhang insists that Facebook ignored or was slow to act on evidence that fake accounts in politically sensitive countries were undermining elections and political affairs. The memo points to specific instances in Azerbaijan and Honduras where government-linked accounts were utilised to manipulate public opinion.
Zhang’s role involved identifying and dealing with ‘inauthentic behaviour,’ including coordinated non-genuine actions. However, she claims that her workload surpassed her capacity, leaving many potential instances of political manipulation unaddressed. Zhang expressed concern that decisions on whether to investigate were left to her discretion, suggesting a lack of company-wide protocol for such issues.
Facebook responded to the allegations, acknowledging the challenge of policing its platform and confirming an investment of $13bn in safety and security since 2016. The company emphasised its commitment to reducing malicious behaviour, citing the removal of more than 100 networks for coordinated inauthentic behaviour. However, it conceded that it was not perfect and was continually striving to improve.
Go to source article: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-ignore-political-manipulation-whistleblower-memo