4 ms·

Zuckerberg encouraged growth over child safety, ex-Meta executive testifies

87 points by thm 2mo ago

torh 2mo ago
It's a long time since I used Facebook on a regular basis, but Instagram is a weak spot where I have had to set the phone to give me just 10 minutes per day, then shut it off. Now I can go days without opening the app, and I usually manage to exit before the time is up. I can highly recommend the book "Carless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams if you want to know just how bad it really is/was. Just remember that this is just one side of the story. Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg (no longer at Meta) probably have a different story.
- burnt-resistor 2mo ago
  Careless People? I was wondering what not having cars had to do with anything except maybe for people who have PAs/*As or live in Manhattan. ;B
- jsbisviewtiful 2mo ago
  > Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg (no longer at Meta) probably have a different story. Safe to assume anything Zuckberg says in relation to his actions being positive are either an outright lie or so inflated by his arrogance, greed and ego that it's completely unreliable information (still a lie)
  - burnt-resistor 2mo ago
    Zuck has his pipes and wires hooked up to a bullshit image management unit. I'm surprised there's not some mini operator inside him punching in FWD 10, LEFT 90, FWD 5.
sidcool 2mo ago
Nothing matters when money is on the line.
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
cromka 2mo ago
My hot take is Zuckerberg should be trialed for crimes against humanity.
trolleski 2mo ago
They grow on people misery, fuck em.
tonis2 2mo ago
I only use facebook in like once a month and have 50 friends there from school time. But every-time I log-in, the facebook feed recommends me the most outrageous and triggering posts from total strangers, I don't follow them or my friends don't follow them either. But facebook is like, you know what, I think you should read this scummy post. Absolute trash place.
- nephihaha 2mo ago
  That is my experience too. I am constantly being recommended ragebait, which is designed to take me into some form of extremism or another. The one small mercy is that most of it is so unsubtle I see it for what it is. The other stuff it recommends from strangers tends to be moronic, or tries to be emotionally manipulative in some way. Complete brainrot.
- neuroticnews25 2mo ago
  This is the reason I quit the habit of scrolling through facebook and keep it logged off with no password autofill to add traction. And I know I'm not the only one. Could it be an algorithm optimizing some badly designed metrics, like "the engagement of active users"? Where making an user inactive also makes the line go up. On the other hand my mother claims she doesn't get any ragebait.
- oliwarner 2mo ago
  Yeah, they transitioned from a social network to a engagement black hole a while ago. There is a "Feeds" page buried in there somewhere but it's far from default. Twitter might be full of politically dubious [1] and worse-than-Temu/Wish/etc sponsored posts, but at least it can still default to the "You follow" screen. It really is a shame. Past the obvious privacy issues, having somewhere you could engage with your people online was genuinely nice. I miss early Facebook.
  - oliwarner 2mo ago
    Whoops, forgot the link 1: https://thepcspy.com/read/whats-happened/ https://thepcspy.com/read/whats-happened/
burnt-resistor 2mo ago
Stanford used to have a "persuasion technology" ("Facebook") class for deliberately maximizing trustworthiness and manipulating users. Interaction and style design are like nonverbal behavior: it's never "apolitical" or "unbiased", unavoidably omnipresent, and has real-world consequences, especially at scale. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08class.html https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08class.html ( https://archive.is/WXgXt https://archive.is/WXgXt )
cretinoid 2mo ago
What? But that's impossible! Who would have thought?
cloudie78 2mo ago
How is this news? We knew that already, are we supposed to be shocked and horrified?
- root-parent 2mo ago
  Its more horrible than you think, and Zuck should be in prison: "The Facebook Files" - https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039
- pndy 2mo ago
  Shocked, horrified and apparently binge-watching the trial because it's a "blockbuster": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49355825 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49355825 This is economist.com but I've seen local news outlet going with similar headline, portraying the trial as a "must-see" show.
josefritzishere 2mo ago
At some point Zuckerberg should spend some time in a jail cell. Fines aren't moving the needle.
nunez 2mo ago
I finally got around to reading "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Not surprised at all by this headline. I quit Facebook and Instagram several years ago but was motivated to finally quit WhatsApp after reading that book. Can't support this morally-bankrupt company.
- alex1138 2mo ago
  By the way, the thing that fucking amazes me about that book is not only do you hear things about "Meta is suing her to stop her talking about the book" (fuck that. Break Meta up. Zuckerberg for prison) but the financial penalty for SWW would apparently be 11 million dollars, something like that (per Cory Doctorow)
1vuio0pswjnm7 2mo ago
1787086800 | Meta whistleblower accuses Zuckerberg of misleading public on child safety | https://www.gulf-times.com/article/731431/international/uslatin-america/former-meta-engineer-resumes-testimony-in-landmark-trial-over-social-medias-harm-to-young-users https://www.gulf-times.com/article/731431/international/usla... 1787132246 | Meta Under Fire After Whistleblower Claims 100 Times More Teens Saw Graphic Content Than Company Reported | https://www.inkl.com/news/meta-under-fire-after-whistleblower-claims-100-times-more-teens-saw-graphic-content-than-company-reported https://www.inkl.com/news/meta-under-fire-after-whistleblowe... 1787158963 | Meta whistleblower accuses Zuckerberg of misleading public on child safety | https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1412833-meta-whistleblower-accuses-zuckerberg-of-misleading-public-on-child-safety https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1412833-meta-whistleblower... 1787163075 | Whistleblower tells US court Meta knew its platforms could harm children | https://www.trtworld.com/article/45c9a71b2088 https://www.trtworld.com/article/45c9a71b2088 1787172180 | Meta's first witness told a jury the problem was Mark Zuckerberg's culture | https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/business/mark-zuckerbergs-meta-had-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy-on-child-safety-ex-employee-testifies-in-historic-trial/ https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/business/mark-zuckerbergs-meta... 1787194534 | Meta whistleblower says Zuckerberg lied on child safety | https://www.business-standard.com/amp/technology/tech-news/instagram-took-a-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-approach-on-kids-ex-meta-engineer-126082000022_1.html https://www.business-standard.com/amp/technology/tech-news/i... 1787198111 | 'You cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids': Ex-Meta employee says CEO put growth before child safety | https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/you-cannot-trust-mark-zuckerberg-with-kids-ex-meta-employee-says-ceo-put-growth-before-child-safety-108199.htm https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/you-cannot-trust-mark-z... 1787212391 | Meta's first witness told a jury the problem was Mark Zuckerberg's culture | https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-trial-bejar-testimony-oakland https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-trial-bejar-testimony-oakla... 1787244420 | Whistleblower says Meta 'knowingly ignored' harm to children on its platforms: report | https://bdnews24.com/tech/ad78e5b3fcfe https://bdnews24.com/tech/ad78e5b3fcfe

87 points by thm 2mo ago

torh 2mo ago

It's a long time since I used Facebook on a regular basis, but Instagram is a weak spot where I have had to set the phone to give me just 10 minutes per day, then shut it off. Now I can go days without opening the app, and I usually manage to exit before the time is up. I can highly recommend the book "Carless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams if you want to know just how bad it really is/was. Just remember that this is just one side of the story. Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg (no longer at Meta) probably have a different story.

burnt-resistor 2mo ago
Careless People? I was wondering what not having cars had to do with anything except maybe for people who have PAs/*As or live in Manhattan. ;B
jsbisviewtiful 2mo ago
> Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg (no longer at Meta) probably have a different story. Safe to assume anything Zuckberg says in relation to his actions being positive are either an outright lie or so inflated by his arrogance, greed and ego that it's completely unreliable information (still a lie)
- burnt-resistor 2mo ago
  Zuck has his pipes and wires hooked up to a bullshit image management unit. I'm surprised there's not some mini operator inside him punching in FWD 10, LEFT 90, FWD 5.

sidcool 2mo ago

Nothing matters when money is on the line.

deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]

cromka 2mo ago

My hot take is Zuckerberg should be trialed for crimes against humanity.

trolleski 2mo ago

They grow on people misery, fuck em.

tonis2 2mo ago

I only use facebook in like once a month and have 50 friends there from school time. But every-time I log-in, the facebook feed recommends me the most outrageous and triggering posts from total strangers, I don't follow them or my friends don't follow them either. But facebook is like, you know what, I think you should read this scummy post. Absolute trash place.

nephihaha 2mo ago
That is my experience too. I am constantly being recommended ragebait, which is designed to take me into some form of extremism or another. The one small mercy is that most of it is so unsubtle I see it for what it is. The other stuff it recommends from strangers tends to be moronic, or tries to be emotionally manipulative in some way. Complete brainrot.
neuroticnews25 2mo ago
This is the reason I quit the habit of scrolling through facebook and keep it logged off with no password autofill to add traction. And I know I'm not the only one. Could it be an algorithm optimizing some badly designed metrics, like "the engagement of active users"? Where making an user inactive also makes the line go up. On the other hand my mother claims she doesn't get any ragebait.
oliwarner 2mo ago
Yeah, they transitioned from a social network to a engagement black hole a while ago. There is a "Feeds" page buried in there somewhere but it's far from default. Twitter might be full of politically dubious [1] and worse-than-Temu/Wish/etc sponsored posts, but at least it can still default to the "You follow" screen. It really is a shame. Past the obvious privacy issues, having somewhere you could engage with your people online was genuinely nice. I miss early Facebook.
- oliwarner 2mo ago
  Whoops, forgot the link 1: https://thepcspy.com/read/whats-happened/ https://thepcspy.com/read/whats-happened/

burnt-resistor 2mo ago

Stanford used to have a "persuasion technology" ("Facebook") class for deliberately maximizing trustworthiness and manipulating users. Interaction and style design are like nonverbal behavior: it's never "apolitical" or "unbiased", unavoidably omnipresent, and has real-world consequences, especially at scale. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08class.html https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08class.html ( https://archive.is/WXgXt https://archive.is/WXgXt )

cretinoid 2mo ago

What? But that's impossible! Who would have thought?

cloudie78 2mo ago

How is this news? We knew that already, are we supposed to be shocked and horrified?

root-parent 2mo ago
Its more horrible than you think, and Zuck should be in prison: "The Facebook Files" - https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039
pndy 2mo ago
Shocked, horrified and apparently binge-watching the trial because it's a "blockbuster": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49355825 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49355825 This is economist.com but I've seen local news outlet going with similar headline, portraying the trial as a "must-see" show.

josefritzishere 2mo ago

At some point Zuckerberg should spend some time in a jail cell. Fines aren't moving the needle.

nunez 2mo ago

I finally got around to reading "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Not surprised at all by this headline. I quit Facebook and Instagram several years ago but was motivated to finally quit WhatsApp after reading that book. Can't support this morally-bankrupt company.

alex1138 2mo ago
By the way, the thing that fucking amazes me about that book is not only do you hear things about "Meta is suing her to stop her talking about the book" (fuck that. Break Meta up. Zuckerberg for prison) but the financial penalty for SWW would apparently be 11 million dollars, something like that (per Cory Doctorow)

1vuio0pswjnm7 2mo ago

1787086800 | Meta whistleblower accuses Zuckerberg of misleading public on child safety | https://www.gulf-times.com/article/731431/international/uslatin-america/former-meta-engineer-resumes-testimony-in-landmark-trial-over-social-medias-harm-to-young-users https://www.gulf-times.com/article/731431/international/usla... 1787132246 | Meta Under Fire After Whistleblower Claims 100 Times More Teens Saw Graphic Content Than Company Reported | https://www.inkl.com/news/meta-under-fire-after-whistleblower-claims-100-times-more-teens-saw-graphic-content-than-company-reported https://www.inkl.com/news/meta-under-fire-after-whistleblowe... 1787158963 | Meta whistleblower accuses Zuckerberg of misleading public on child safety | https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1412833-meta-whistleblower-accuses-zuckerberg-of-misleading-public-on-child-safety https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1412833-meta-whistleblower... 1787163075 | Whistleblower tells US court Meta knew its platforms could harm children | https://www.trtworld.com/article/45c9a71b2088 https://www.trtworld.com/article/45c9a71b2088 1787172180 | Meta's first witness told a jury the problem was Mark Zuckerberg's culture | https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/business/mark-zuckerbergs-meta-had-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy-on-child-safety-ex-employee-testifies-in-historic-trial/ https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/business/mark-zuckerbergs-meta... 1787194534 | Meta whistleblower says Zuckerberg lied on child safety | https://www.business-standard.com/amp/technology/tech-news/instagram-took-a-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-approach-on-kids-ex-meta-engineer-126082000022_1.html https://www.business-standard.com/amp/technology/tech-news/i... 1787198111 | 'You cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids': Ex-Meta employee says CEO put growth before child safety | https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/you-cannot-trust-mark-zuckerberg-with-kids-ex-meta-employee-says-ceo-put-growth-before-child-safety-108199.htm https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/you-cannot-trust-mark-z... 1787212391 | Meta's first witness told a jury the problem was Mark Zuckerberg's culture | https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-trial-bejar-testimony-oakland https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-trial-bejar-testimony-oakla... 1787244420 | Whistleblower says Meta 'knowingly ignored' harm to children on its platforms: report | https://bdnews24.com/tech/ad78e5b3fcfe https://bdnews24.com/tech/ad78e5b3fcfe