Francis Hogan, a former Facebook engineer who leaked documents that showed the company put profit over security, launched a group Thursday to fight the social media scandal.
In a statement about the launch of Beyond the Screen, its first project will be to find ways that big tech is not meeting its “legal and ethical responsibilities to society” and find solutions. I have to help.
“We can have social media that brings out the best in us, and that’s what Beyond the Screen is working for,” Hogan said in the statement.
“The focus will be on concrete solutions to help users take control of our social media experience beyond the screen.”
Last year, Hogan leaked reams of internal studies that showed executives knew their site could harm people. This prompted the US to try again to regulate the site.
Hogan said the tech giant, now called Meta and has changed its name, puts profit ahead of safety. Meta has responded to this allegation.
Haugen’s nonprofit will work with groups like Common Sense Media and Project Liberty that are “committed to supporting healthy social media,” the statement said.
In a statement, Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt said Beyond the Screen’s first project is “a bold, comprehensive and much-needed effort to transform the way social media works.”
“We look forward to launching this new initiative and working with Francis and his team to advance our shared goal of enabling healthy digital communities and disrupting harmful business models.”
