Frances Haugen is a well-known ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower who has urged lawmakers to enact strict regulations to combat abuses on some social media platforms. You all know how social media platforms help us connect with people globally. Many people are exposed to serious online hate, abuse, and extremism. Among the users, several young teens and children should not be exposed to such acts. This is why Haugen spearheaded the effort to protect online users from such abuses. Facebook has majorly failed to control the hate spreading online, giving rise to more situations.
If these situations are taken lightly as usual, then the audience will continue with the abuses, which will eventually harm the reputation of the social media platform. Haugen urges changes to the 1996 law that provides legal protection for the content posted on the platforms. The companies must focus on removing any offensive content. This ensures a safe and secure platform for the users. Haugen presented a case in October and showed evidence that the Facebook system fails to protect young users from harmful content.
What is the main idea behind the work of Haugen?
Haugen is widely known as a data scientist who worked as a product manager in Facebook’s civic integrity unit. Her idealogy majorly emphasized the safety of the users. Understandably, if you want to grow your platform more, you definitely need to protect its reputation. Abuse and hate are known to have increased so much that they greatly impact the younger generation. She only wants the content posted online on the platform not to be offensive to the users. Facebook and other social media platforms are ranked using computer algorithms and thus recommend content. They are responsible for controlling what appears in the feeds of the users.
Haugen’s idea is to remove offensive content. Even if there is massive engagement, it should be instantly eliminated from the platform for public safety. The platform of Facebook is a free-expression platform, so it becomes difficult to distinguish between users’ opinions and harmful content. To implement her ideas, lawmakers need strong social laws to curb the increasing offensive content on the platform.
What are the advantages of curbing abuses on the online platform?
If the abusive content going on the social media platform is curbed, it offers a safe platform for the users. Additionally, there are numerous other benefits to it. Some of the benefits include:
- Friendly platform: When the users interact with each other, they do not have to worry about anything and are only exposed to good quality content. It has become a safe and friendly platform for all users across the globe.
- No negative comments: Users abuse and spread hateful speech online, greatly affecting the online environment. If the negative comments are instantly removed from the platform, then no user can upload anything negative on the platform and will abide by the regulations of the platform.
If you want to know about the idea behind Haugen’s works, consider reading the details shared above.