Facebook whistleblower to testify in European Parliament

MEPs will discuss harmful big tech practices with former Facebook employee Frances Haugen (pictured) today (8 November). Her testimony could influence future EU legislation, Society.

The former Facebook employee who blew the whistle on company practices harmful to users and society will be in the Parliament on 8 November.

Online safety is a priority for the Parliament, which is currently working on new rules for the rapidly changing online world, to ensure a better and safer digital environment for internet users in the EU and a competitive environment that will allow more businesses to thrive.

How the hearing might influence EU legislation

The hearing is important to Europeans for two reasons, said Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Denmark), lead MEP for the Digital Services Act (DSA): “First of all, I think all users of Facebook should know and understand to the greatest extent the business model and the choices behind the operation of the platform. Secondly these revelations will impact the DSA and thus European users of Facebook and other platforms in the near future.”

“Facebook plays a large role in modern society,” added Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany), the MEP responsible for the Digital Markets Act (DMA). “It shows users political ads and political content based on our personal data” and its rules “can change the volume of the resulting ‘echo chambers’.”

“In a democracy, we have laws for offline political content and elected politicians, not private companies, make those laws,” he said, underlining the need to regulate online political advertising. Haugen’s hearing will help Europeans understand the role of online platforms in society and help us in the European Parliament make better laws to deal with them Andreas Schwab Lead MEP for the Digital Markets Act.

Parliament’s plans to regulate social media platforms

Reflecting the negative impact of platforms on users revealed by Haugen, Schaldemose emphasised the importance of accountability in the coming legislation.

“I am arguing that recommender systems should not be based on involuntary profiling as a default. If users want recommendations based on the platform profiling them, it must be a clear request through informed consent,” she said. We need to open up the black box that is the algorithm and ask platforms to assess the risk that any algorithm or change of algorithm poses to the user and make the platforms accountable for the impact of the recommender systems and algorithms Christel Schaldemose Lead MEP for the Digital Services Act.

“The Digital Markets Act will make sure that personal data can only be used for political advertising if users give their renewed consent,” says Schwab.“We can never have a Cambridge Analytica 2.0 where personal data is abused for political gain.”

“The Digital Services Act will also play a role in regulating illegal content. Most importantly, at the end of 2021, the EU will propose a law on online political advertising and on disinformation. The Commission must hurry up now to make this proposal - Mrs Haugen’s revelations have shown that we cannot wait any longer.”

Learn more about why the EU wants to regulate the platform economy.

Watch the Facebook whistleblower hearing in European Parliament live on 8 November from 16h45 to 19h30 CET.

Find out more 

• Digital transformation: importance, benefits and EU policy 
• Digital services act 
• Digital markets act

Share this article: