The Lacuna Project

lacuna (n.) a gap in a record where something should be

Independent research. Not affiliated with any government, agency, or company.

Person

Frances Haugen (former Facebook product manager)

Findings that rest on exhibits naming this entity

  • POL-3.3: Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, told a Senate subcommittee in a written statement of 4 October 2021 that the company's choices produced "a system that amplifies division, extremism, and polarization" and that its internal research confirmed the problems. Facebook's vice president of integrity had said in May 2020 that the company took steps against polarization, some at a cost to revenue, and Zuckerberg said on 5 October 2021 that the profit-over-safety claim was untrue.
  • POL-3.4: News reports of internal Facebook documents state that staff warned in 2018 and 2019 that ranking changes rewarded outrage and that company leaders declined some proposed changes. Facebook disputes these accounts.

Exhibits naming this entity

  • Exhibit 716 4 October 2021. Frances Haugen (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation): Statement of Frances Haugen, Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security