Facebook still gives low priority to elections in India and other countries, says whistleblower Sophie Zhang
The Hindu
Sophie posted a 7,800-word memo to the company’s internal forum after she was fired from Facebook in the fall of 2020
(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click to subscribe for free.) Sophie Zhang worked as a Facebook data scientist for nearly three years before was she fired in the fall of 2020. On her final day, she posted a 7,800-word memo to the company’s internal forum — such farewell notes, if not the length, are a common practice for departing employees. In the memo, first published by Buzzfeed, she outlined evidence that governments in countries like Azerbaijan and Honduras were using fake accounts to influence the public. Elsewhere, such as India and Ecuador, Zhang found coordinated activity intended to manipulate public opinion, although it wasn’t clear who was behind it. Facebook, she said, didn't take her findings seriously. Zhang’s experience led her to a stark conclusion: “I have blood on my hands.”More Related News