The US Government Will Give Strict Supervision On Facebook, The Like – Share Button Is Considered To Cause Problems

The Facebook Like and Share buttons are considered one of the sources of problems. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA— Following the disclosure of the whistleblower by Frances Haugen last month, Facebook is facing increased scrutiny over how it impacts US society and the world at large.

Internal memos shared by Haugen with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal have led to the opening of an investigation by the U.S. Congress into the company's operations and whether it intentionally allowed hate and misinformation to thrive on the platform for finance and profit.

Another revelation was about a company called the 'Elite Whitelist' that created a two-tier system to enforce policies, treating celebrities and influential figures more leniently for gross violations of Facebook's policies.

Internal research also reportedly shows that Facebook is aware of drug and human trafficking issues on its platform but has failed to take adequate action to address the issues.

To add to the growing story surrounding Facebook, a new report from The New York Times now claims that an internal study commissioned by the company found a “Like” button on the platform causing “stress and anxiety” among many users.

This is especially true for teens as they are constantly worried about how many 'Likes' their photos and other posts receive from their friends and colleagues. Following the report, the company conducted limited tests with certain users to see if removing the buttons had a positive impact on the children.

As it turned out, removing buttons reduced ad clicks and other interactions but didn't encourage teens to post more photos. So Facebook left the 'Like' button there despite knowing how it negatively impacts its users.

Facebook Spends 13 Billion Dollars On User Security

Facebook is also reportedly studying the impact of the 'Share' button, which the study says amplifies harmful content, including hate and misinformation. The study even concluded that "Our platform mechanism is not neutral." However, Facebook allowed the 'Share' button to remain as it is a core feature of the website.

The report also cites former high-ranking Facebook executives as saying that the company is sacrificing social responsibility for user growth and engagement. According to Brian Boland, Facebook's VP who left last year, employees often have open discussions about what's going on on the platform and what needs to be done to change things for the better. However, "finishing change can be much more difficult," he said.

For its part, Facebook, one of the five trillion dollar tech giants along with Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, has denied wrongdoing. According to a spokesman for Andy Stone, the company does not place profits over public welfare and has invested USD 13 billion (IDR 183 trillion) to improve security on the platform.

He further claims that Facebook has employed 40.000 people to reduce toxicity on the platform because its own commercial interests will be harmed if it doesn't care about the well-being of its users. He also added that the company supports the updated regulations, which government regulators must set standards and norms for social media platforms to follow.