Facebook launched a manhunt after the company’s information was leaked – a video leaked last week also showed CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussing the troubling topic with its director of internal technology communications. Being fired for unauthorized sharing of company information is not at all surprising, it happens anywhere. However, based on the video and accusations leveled in recent months and years, there is a legitimate suspicion that Facebook fears leaking more secret internal “projects” than any company in the world.
Project Veritas has become Facebook’s staunch enemy in recent months. The page that reveals the truth to the public, which distinguishes itself as a non-profit press organization, brings one revelation after another.
The site first showed a leaked internal communication explaining how Mark Zuckerberg’s company, the “Vaccine Frequency Project”, is trying to filter anti-vaccination news from its feed without users knowing it. Next, Project Veritas created a virtual Q&A video internally, also obtained from Facebook, in which the CEO addressed a leak issue raised by employees.
He discusses with Melinda Davenport, Director of Internal Communications, how to “track” employees who illegally share company information
– It was reported on Fox News.
Zuckerberg notes in the video that they have succeeded in this area on several occasions, and that the person responsible for the latest leak has also been found and fired with immediate effect.
The same news that Facebook is trying to censor news that creates uncertainty about vaccines hasn’t even beat the fuse for most people, as the world’s leading virologists, researchers and doctors encourage people to get vaccinated. From a public relations point of view, the fact that company executives discuss “chasing” leakers as in any large company, and the security of personal data of colleagues was also mentioned in the conversation, which is also an important aspect, is important Barely a month ago, the personal data of 533 million users, including 377,000 Hungarians, fell into the hands of hackers due to a security hole.
Instead of algorithms, they worry about secret projects
However, it goes so far as to say that Zuckerberg isn’t much interested in the social site’s code, algorithms, or other software secrets, but rather that people are informed of secret projects, censorship, and influence that run in the background, such as as a “vaccine frequency” program.
„This case also shows very well that leaks always hurt the companySaid Schwartz. They threaten our open culture, Mark said. They make it difficult for us to achieve our goals, And encourage more dropouts. I know some people here feel there are good things and there are bad leaks. But they are all harmful, and it’s not the right way to make a difference, especially in a company like this, where people are free to share their opinions and ask Mark questions.Quotes from Fox News Heidi Schwartz, General Counsel for Labor Law and Research at Facebook.
If half of the accusations against Facebook recently are true, Zuckerberg has cause for concern.
Only this year, many claims have been made that the social aspect has played an active role in influencing people. Among these, the most critical views were expressed in the United States during and after the 2020 election, when Republican politicians claimed that the Facebook algorithm was among their campaign posts, including those of then-US President Donald Trump. Reach out to over their Democratic opponents. Facebook denied the allegations.
In December 2020, Justice Minister Judith Varga also posted a blog post on a similar case, who indicated via his social network that after describing social media activity as a priority for the 2022 parliamentary elections, Facebook changed the algorithm on its official website without prior notice and justification, which led to a decrease in the number of people sending its political message.
Judith Varga reported that her reach into the community has been reduced by a quarter to a fifth, in her post, she asked her followers:Do you believe in chance?“
The Minister of Justice also noted the power of the tech giants: “We see what’s happening in the world, and we see that the power groups behind global technology companies can even make choices. We must not be naive, we must be prepared for any eventuality and the operations and decisions of these global companies must be transparent. We will continue to work!A Facebook spokesperson later denied the allegations.
In April of this year, they again complained about the algorithm of the social network in Hungary. The access to the government’s Facebook page and the pages of many pro-government politicians has decreased significantly, and in several cases to a fraction, said Caba Dumutur, Parliamentary Foreign Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, on his community page on April 9. Mayor Gergeli Karacconi also reported a similar phenomenon.
Caba Domotor, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, announced on his Facebook page that this had happened to him as well.
„We are at a loss, because Facebook has not provided advance information about the reasons for this. We do not know if there is a technical problem behind this phenomenon or the previously stated intention to suppress political content“He said. The politician said the incident drew attention. Weakness of public authorities in this field“.
In connection with the case, media attorney Janos Tamas Pap saidAnd the Access to entries from Hungarian politicians, which was severely restricted by Facebook on April 9, is a good indication of the power of this social media platform to restrict access to the public even by members of the government and prime ministers without the risk of legal reprisals.
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It is a malicious practice that constitutes a sufficiently severe interference with the functioning of a democratic public to allow gatekeepers to determine which information users should access.
Because of the upcoming elections, it would be desirable for platforms to censor as little as possible the content that appears in users’ feeds so that people can make their own judgments about the messages of political actors. He pointed out that it is practically related to the ability of private companies to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries with the touch of a button.
Previous scandals warn Zuckerberg to be careful
These cases seem alarming, but without evidence, Facebook cannot be held responsible. Mark Zuckerberg is concerned with keeping this way and not accidentally leaking information that supports the increasingly vocal claims. If that happened, a scandal like the one in 2014, when Facebook announced a scientific experiment, would have reported 70,000 people taking psychological tests in 2012 without their consent, removing certain words from users’ feeds in order to assess the impact of their reactions. to the entries.
According to the Guardian After the scandal
Facebook first defended itself by agreeing to human experience by accepting its Terms of Service.
However, this was countered by a later statement from Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer:
„It was part of our ongoing research work that each company does to test their different products, that’s all; We communicated badlyFacebook’s COO said, then apologised, saying they didn’t want to upset anyone.
But even this scandal is just a drop in the sea of waterfalls. As we reported in MarchAccording to today’s exchange rates, Facebook has paid nearly HUF 1,809 billion in fines and investigations in recent years, this incomprehensible amount simply dwarfing Zuckerberg’s entire fortune. So far, According to Forbes, the founder’s total assets are $93.3 billion, or HUF 28,644 billion.
How many users would you be “harassed” and how much would Zuckerberg’s endless wallet wear if other secret projects came to light?
