Facebook executive says company doesn't profit off underage users
CBSN
Facebook's global head of safety defended the company against accusations it harms children's mental health in a Senate hearing Thursday, pushing back against claims that the social media giant exploits young users for profit.
The hearing before the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security marked the first congressional testimony by a Facebook executive since a recent Wall Street Journal investigation found the company was aware its products harmed underage users. The paper cited internal Facebook research showing the company's products made body image issues worse for a third of teenage girls and prompted suicidal thoughts in 6% of all teenage users.
"We now know that Facebook routinely puts profits ahead of kids' online safety," subcommittee chair Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in his opening remarks.
Washington — More than 50 former football players and coaches, including several Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVP's, announced their endorsement Friday of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The group represents 25 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU's) and consists of 10 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, two Super Bowl champions and MVPs, former No. 1 overall picks and some of the first Black athletes and coaches to break the color barrier.
Jan. 7, 1994, started out like any other typical winter morning for Rebecca "Becky" Savarese of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There was snow on the ground, and it was bitterly cold as the 12-year-old walked to school. Then, at around 7:10 a.m., at one of the busiest intersections in town, a man came up beside her. "He had a mustache, but he didn't shave. He seemed like a nerd to me," said Savarese. The stranger quickly pulled out a gun and held it up against her.
The Justice Department on Thursday announced it is opening a civil rights investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff's Department. A group of the agency's former officers — who called themselves the "Goon Squad" — pleaded guilty last year to a series of charges for torturing two Black men.