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'Everything fell apart': Facebook whistleblower says Elon Musk's Twitter takeover changed social media landscape
10 March 2025, 18:00
Facebook Whistleblower speaks to LBC on Online Safety Day
Online Safety Day is on Monday 10th March from 7am to midnight on LBC, available across the UK on Global Player on your smart speaker, iOS or Android device; on DAB digital radio and TV, at LBC.co.uk and in London on 97.3 FM.
A Facebook whistleblower has said that online safety standards "fell apart" when Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022.
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Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower, came forward to claim the giant platform prioritised "profit over public safety."
Ms Haugen said that Facebook knew that "divisive content" would be prioritised by the algorithm yet did nothing to address this, despite concerns about toxic public debates surrounding politics.
She said that at one stage lasting "a couple of years" Facebook "really took its responsibilities differently," taking steps such as doubling the size of their safety team and spending "a lot more time" thinking about the weighting of personal content versus political.
"It's great to have an interactive interaction about your family photos. Do you want to be incentivising knee jerk content for political content, for example?"
Read more: LBC's Online Safety Day: Where you can get help and support
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But Ms Haugen said that this changed when Elon Musk bought Twitter the remaining safety standards upheld by tech companies "fell apart."
She told Tom: "Musk set a precedent that you don't have to invest in safety - you could get away with it."
Ms Haugen added she would not feel comfortable allowing children to be on social media sites like Instagram as they "lead them to feeling anxious and less than [others]."
What is 'the algorithm'? | Online Safety Day on LBC
Since becoming a whistleblower, Ms Haugen has become an advocate for greater regulation of tech platforms.
"We have to stand up and we have to demand more," she told LBC.
"That nine year old never gets to be nine again. They will live with how they were shaped by Instagram for the rest of their lives."
