Internet: Facebook whistleblower fears for her safety

Internet
Facebook whistleblower fears for her safety

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen worries about her safety after going public.

«What I’m most afraid of is probably not Facebook. It is that there are a lot of people who benefit from how the system works today, ”said Haugen of the German press agency.

She feared that these people might spread rumors about her that would radicalize anyone. “I think there is a possibility that someone could believe conspiracy theories about me and harm me,” said the 37-year-old. So she comes across extreme ideas about herself on Twitter. She is also concerned about her family: “I read threat analyzes about people talking about my mother on the dark web.”

Revelations

The former Facebook employee Haugen had downloaded a large collection of internal documents and made them available to the US Congress, authorities and selected media. According to her, the information shows that the group puts profits above the well-being of its users. Internal references to developments harmful to users have been ignored. Facebook rejects the allegations.

Haugen finds the attention after her revelations “surreal”, while she is generally concerned about her privacy. “I think there is a hunger among people to look into these systems that have such a big impact on their lives.” Thank you for taking your information seriously.

As a so-called whistleblower who denounces misconduct, Haugen enjoys protection under US law. Since she left Facebook in the spring, she has been living personally on her savings – which were sufficient thanks to early investments in cryptocurrency, among other things. “I could go on like this for 20 years, if not forever.” She is legally represented by the Whistleblower Aid organization free of charge and is grateful for the support of more than 1000 donors.

dpa