Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's advocacy has received aid from eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar.
The eBay founder's advocacy group, Omidyar Network, published a blog post entitled "In Support of Tech Whistleblowers Who are Holding Tech to Account" when asked to comment on the aid given to Haugen's advocacy.
The blog post says that the group is aware of the dangers, expenses, and difficulties that tech whistleblowers face. The post also expresses Omidyar Network's gratitude to those who call out tech companies for "bad behavior."
Frances Haugen is a former Facebook product manager who leaked documents to The Wall Street Journal that led to the bombshell report about Instagram's effects on its young users.
Facebook Whistleblower's Advocacy Receives Aid
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's advocacy has received aid from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, according to a report by The Verge. Omidyar is known to have provided financial backing for The Intercept and an advocacy group called Public Knowledge.
The billionaire's own advocacy group, Omidyar Network, published a blog post explaining the support behind tech whistleblowers.
"For those who are considering blowing the whistle, we know that it is a difficult, and often dangerous and expensive decision," the blog post states. The post mentions the support Omidyar Network has given to Ifeoma Ozoma, another tech whistleblower who created "The Tech Worker Handbook" with her partners.
Omidyar Network has expressed its gratitude to tech whistleblowers. "Because of them, policymakers are taking notice and taking action to rein in their excessive power and restore trust and balance in digital markets," the advocacy group said.
Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen
Frances Haugen first went public during an interview with the TV program "60 Minutes" and revealed that she was the one who gave Facebook's internal documents to The Wall Street Journal. These internal documents became the basis of "The Facebook Files" report.
The Wall Street Journal's report, which is titled "Facebook Knows Instagram is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show," states that the social media giant is aware of the negative effects that Instagram has on its young users.
Haugen has also accused Facebook of prioritizing profits over safety.
Haugen has since testified in Congress, and Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has likewise broken his silence about the controversy.
Related Article: Mark Zuckerberg Shares Note Addressing Whistleblower's Claims on His Facebook Page
What's Next?
According to the report by The Verge, Frances Haugen is set to appear before the parliament in the United Kingdom next week. She is also set to meet with Facebook's Oversight Board, but The Verge notes that there is no set a date for it as of press time.
As for Mark Zuckerberg, he and other Facebook executives have been requested to testify in Congress by Senator Richard Blumenthal regarding the allegations of the Facebook whistleblower.
Multiple media outlets are also expected to publish articles that are part of what has been dubbed as the "Gotcha Campaign" by Facebook Communications VP John Pinette.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
