WhistleblowerFrances Haugen has exposed major problems at Facebook, but the data scientist has also proposed some solutions.
One of her most eye-catching suggestions is changing the ordering of news feeds on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook’salgorithmscurrently steer users to content that generates more engagement. Haugentold a Senate panelon Wednesday that this approach can have dire consequences:
It is causing teenagers to be exposed to more anorexia content, it is pulling families apart, and in places like Ethiopia, it’s literally fanning ethnic violence.
She believes these risks would be reduced by switching to achronological newsfeed.
Haugen argues that ordering posts by time would deliver safer content. Facebook may argue that this would trigger a proliferation of spam, but Haugen said that spam could be demoted in the news feed:
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I’m a strong proponent of chronological ranking, or ordering by time with a little bit of spam demotion, because I think we don’t want computers deciding what we focus on.
Haugen’s proposal may well make news feeds less toxic.Engagement-based rankings, however, keep users on the sites for longer, which is integral to Facebook’s ad-based business model.
As a specialist in“algorithmic product management” who’sworked for Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and Yelp, Haugen’s recommendations merit attention. But as someone who says Facebookconsistently “chooses profit over safety,”she recognizes that the company is unlikely to follow her advice.
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Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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