Facebook whistleblower behind major leak is going to testify in Europe

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4 years ago

October 12, 2021

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In this article

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, testifies during the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing titled Children’s Online Safety-Facebook Whistleblower, in Russell Building on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.

Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

LONDON — The Facebook whistleblower who leaked internal company research showing that Instagram can be harmful for teens is set to testify in Europe.

Hot on the heels of her appearance in Congress, Frances Haugen is now set to give evidence to lawmakers in British Parliament, according to a statement released on Monday.

She will appear in a parliamentary committee on Oct. 25, marking the first time she has given testimony in Europe, the statement said.

Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, told a Senate panel last week that leadership at the company prioritizes “profits before people,” and called on lawmakers to intervene.

It comes after the whistleblower leaked internal Facebook studies to the Wall Street Journal, in which the company found its Instagram app is harmful to teenage girls.

Over the weekend, Facebook’s chief spokesperson Nick Clegg said the social media firm would introduce new features to nudge teens away from harmful content and encourage users spending long periods of time on Instagram to “take a break.”

“There needs to be greater transparency on the decisions companies like Facebook take when they trade off user safety for user engagement,” said Damian Collins, British member of parliament and chair of the joint committee on the government’s Online Safety Bill.

Collins made a name for himself in 2018, when he took Facebook to task over the Cambridge Analytica data-harvesting scandal in a series of parliamentary hearings.

The U.K. government is now introducing new legislation that would impose a duty of care on digital giants to ensure they monitor and take action against illegal or harmful material online. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to 10% of annual global revenue or £18 million ($24 million), whichever is higher.

Meanwhile, EU lawmakers have also invited Haugen to appear at a Nov. 8 hearing on whistleblowers in tech, though it’s not yet clear if she’s accepted their request.

“Whistleblowers like Frances Haugen show the urgent need to set democratic rules for the online world in the interest of users,” Anna Cavazzini, chair of the European Parliament’s internal market and consumer protection committee, said in a statement Monday.

“Her revelations lay bare the inherent conflict between the platform’s business model and users’ interests.”

The European Union has plans of its own to regulate Big Tech. The bloc is working to introduce two landmark laws — the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act — designed to stamp out toxic content and increase competition.

Technology

AMD announces $6 billion buyback; shares climb 6%

Published

2 hours ago

May 14, 2025

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AMD announces billion buyback; shares climb 6%

Lisa Su, president and CEO of AMD, talks about the AMD EPYC processor during a keynote address at the 2019 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., January 9, 2019.

Steve Marcus | Reuters

AMD said on Wednesday that its board of directors approved $6 billion in share buybacks. The stock climbed 6%.

The authorization is in addition to $4 billion in existing approved share repurchases, the company said.

“Our expanded share repurchase program reflects the Board’s confidence in AMD’s strategic direction, growth prospects, and ability to consistently generate strong free cash flow,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said in a statement.

Chinese tech giant Tencent posts 13% revenue jump as growth at key gaming unit surges

Published

7 hours ago

May 14, 2025

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Chinese tech giant Tencent posts 13% revenue jump as growth at key gaming unit surges

Chinese tech company Tencent is a gaming giant and the parent company of WeChat, the ubiquitous social messaging app in China.

Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Tencent on Wednesday reported an annual rise in its top and bottom line in the first quarter fuelled by accelerated growth in its key gaming business.

While revenue beat expectations, its net profit fell short.

Here’s how Tencent did in the first quarter of 2025 versus LSEG estimates:

Revenue: 180.02 billion Chinese yuan ($25 billion), versus 174.63 billion yuan expected
Net profit: 47.8 billion yuan, versus 52.2 billion yuan expected

Revenue rose 13% year-on-year, while net profit was up 14%.

This breaking news story is being updated.

Technology

Sony shares rise about 2% in volatile trading following share buyback announcement

Published

10 hours ago

May 14, 2025

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Sony shares rise about 2% in volatile trading following share buyback announcement

A file photo of Hiroki Totoki, Sony Group Corporation executive, delivering a keynote address at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, on January 6, 2025.

Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Sony Group shares rose about 2% Wednesday in volatile trading after the Japanese conglomerate announced a 250 billion yen ($1.7 billion) share buyback and operating income beat estimates.

Operating income for the last three months of the financial year came in at 203.6 billion yen, beating mean analyst estimates of 192.2 billion yen, though it was down 11% from the same period last year.

In the earnings report, the Japanese-based electronics, entertainment and finance company announced a stock buyback of shares worth 250 billion yen.

Sony also provided details on a partial spinoff of its financial unit. The company plans to distribute slightly more than 80% of the shares of common stock of the spinoff to shareholders of Sony Group through dividends.

The financial unit will list its financial operation this year and will be classified as a discontinued operation in Sony’s accounting from the current quarter, the company added.

However, Sony’s outlook for the current financial year ending in March was lackluster.

The company forecasted its operating profit to rise a slight 0.3% to 1.28 trillion yen, after flagging a 100 billion yen hit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Yet, Sony clarified that the estimated tariff impact did not reflect the trade deal made between the U.S. and China on May 12 and that the actual impact could vary significantly.