Facebook whistleblower to testify to MPs and peers

The Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will today give evidence to MPs and peers scrutinising the online safety bill amid calls for a toughening up of the landmark legislation.

- Dan Milmo

Haugen has triggered a deep crisis at Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire after she leaked tens of thousands of internal documents detailing the company’s failure to keep users safe from harmful content.

Today Haugen, 37, will testify in person at the joint committee scrutinising the draft online safety bill, a piece of legislation that places a duty of care on social media companies to protect users – with the threat of substantial fines if they fail to do so.

Speaking to the Observer before the hearing, Haugen said Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, chief executive and controlling shareholder, had not shown any readiness to protect the public. “Right now, Mark is unaccountable,” she said. “He has all the control. He has no oversight, and he has not demonstrated that he is willing to govern the company at the level that is necessary for public safety.”