A former Facebook employee urges Europe to set strict rules for digital platformsArtyom Konohov
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Former Facebook employee Haugen’s visit to the European Parliament comes at a time when MEPs are actively working on new rules governing social networks and internet platforms. That is why MEPs took every word of her carefully to use it in future battles over one or the other rule of law.
At the beginning of her speech, Haugen said that she had worked for various internet companies and could therefore say with confidence that the problem was not with social networks as such, but with the fact that Facebook’s management made a profit above all else.
The decisions made by Facebook’s management pose a huge threat to children, public safety and democracy. That is why I came up with this information. But it doesn’t have to be that way. “We have gathered here because of deliberate Facebook management decisions,” said Haugen.
She believes that the forthcoming Digital Services Act for Europe could become the gold standard for the rest of the world. If Europe is able to develop effective rules that apply equally to all platforms, the rest of the world will use them as a model, including possibly the United States.
Former Facebook Algorithm and Suggestion System Specialist
compared the current situation with the time when tobacco companies claimed that filter cigarettes were less harmful to health. At the time, scientists were able to verify and refute these claims. But now an independent analysis of Facebook’s operations and impact is not possible.
At the heart of the current problem is that no one but Facebook knows how devastating the company’s management’s choices are, because only Facebook has access to that information. Facebook cannot continue to be a judge, a prosecutor, a juror and a witness at the same time. Therefore, in order for the rules to be effective, it is crucial to achieve transparency, ”Haugen emphasized.
However, during several hours of conversation, Haugen did not take a clear stand in favor of MEPs who want to ban targeted advertising altogether.
As you know, social networks and online platforms collect a large amount of information about each of their users for later sale to advertisers and others.
Kristela Schaldemoze, a Danish MEP from the Socialist Group in charge of the Digital Services Act, acknowledged that there were still fierce battles ahead over the fate of targeted advertising.
She explained: “The problems are caused by the Facebook business model as such. We need to get to the point. Facebook wants us to stay on their platform for as long as possible so that they can gather as much information as possible from us. That is how I think it is a problem. That’s why I think we need to understand what we’re doing with targeted advertising. I think it would be best to ban it altogether. But I doubt that a majority of parliamentarians will be prepared to support it. Therefore, a possible solution would be to create a model where, by definition, consumers are not tracked. “
MEP Chaldemose noted that progress in developing the new digital rules was quite good. She therefore hopes that a compromise can be found within a few months. This would be the first step towards a final agreement.
No less ambitious is Terrier Bretton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market. He hopes that the process of approving the rules could be completed in the next six months.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also made curbing the Internet giants one of the priorities of next year’s French presidency.
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