Democratic senator dismisses Zuckerberg's whistleblower response: 'He has lost all trust if he ever had any'
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is dismissing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's response to a whistleblower's allegations against the company and urging him testify before the Senate to address the claims in the next few weeks.
Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, testified before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday and accused the company of choosing to "grow at all costs" at the expense of users' safety, creating products that "harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy." Zuckerberg subsequently addressed her testimony in a message to employees that he shared publicly on Tuesday, writing that "many of the claims don't make any sense" and that it's "just not true" that "we prioritize profit over safety and well-being." Zuckerberg added that it's "deeply illogical" to suggest that "we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit."
But Blumenthal on CNN's New Day dismissed this response, saying the documents provided to the Senate by the Facebook whistleblower "convincingly" support her allegations and that Zuckerberg "has lost all trust if he ever had any." The senator added that he hopes there are other Facebook whistleblowers who will come forward to share what they know because "we can't count on Mark Zuckerberg to tell us the truth."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The whistleblower's testimony on Tuesday came after a series of bombshell reports on the social media company from The Wall Street Journal, including one alleging that Facebook's researchers have found "that Instagram is harmful for a sizable percentage of" young users, "most notably teenage girls." Blumenthal told CNN that Zuckerberg needs to "come clean" and that the Senate subcommittee will be inviting him to testify, hopefully "in the next weeks, maybe in a month or so."
"We're going to invite him, ask him to come," Blumenthal said. "I can't tell you whether he will accept, but I think Mark Zuckerberg has an obligation to tell the American people himself, not just in this message to his employees."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Duchess of Gloucester: the hard-working royal you've never heard of
Under The Radar Outer royal 'never expected' to do duties but has stepped up to the plate
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published