Established to identify and address damage to the company’s products and services, this team’s goals will be pursued in other parts of the company.
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Technology and digital can be beneficial to individuals just as they are likely to harm them. Aware of this, Meta (formerly Facebook) had created a responsible innovation team charged with anticipating and limiting the negative consequences of its products. “Products such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, but also emerging technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality, have the potential to improve people’s lives (…) As the use of these technologies grows and the ‘influence of our platforms grows, our responsibility also to detect and mitigate potential damages must expand ”.explained Margaret Stewart, team vice president, in a ticket that blog in 2021.
Made up of engineers, academics, ethics specialists and other fields, it has just been dismantled by the Californian group, revealed the Wall Street newspaper September 8. According to statements by a company spokesperson to the American newspaper, the goals of this team will be pursued in other parts of the company.
Products with harmful effects on users
This dismantling comes at a difficult time for Meta, which has slowed down its hiring following the decline in advertising revenue. The behemoth is also more dedicated to the development of the metaverse, considered the future of the Internet by its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. However, this universe that mixes virtual and real is not without its problems, having already proved dangerous for some users. In addition to sexual harassment, many have been confronted with homophobic or racist comments. These issues have raised criticism of the lack of moderation in the metaverse.
Meta has also been criticized for the damaging effects of its platforms, especially since the Facebook file, a series of revelations that weakened the company last year. The team that has just been disbanded – described as a “general pratictioner” by Margaret Sewart – had been helpful in avoiding such negative consequences. According to Zvika Krieger, who handled it before leaving Meta earlier this year, for example, she was involved in the Facebook Dating team’s decision not to include a filter that would allow users to target or exclude potential interests. lovers of a particular race.
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