The Lacuna Project

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

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

Exhibit 717

Investments to Fight Polarization

Exhibit 717 ยท Company statement

Investments to Fight Polarization

this particular story wilfully ignored critical facts that undermined its narrative.

Facebook's response the day after the Wall Street Journal reported it shelved polarization research. Lists the 2018 News Feed change, integrity staffing, recommendation restrictions and hate-speech enforcement.

Source
Facebook (Guy Rosen, VP Integrity)
Date
27 May 2020
Quoted from
Opening paragraph
Grade
Primary record
Document
https://about.fb.com/news/2020/05/investments-to-fight-polarization/
Accessed
2026-11-09
Cited by
Findings citing this exhibit

Cited by

Finding POL-3.3
Primary record 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.
Finding POL-3.4
Reported 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.