Facebook exec pushes back on whistleblower claims

Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, says the social media giant does not prioritize engagement and user growth over safety. That contradicts Senate testimony by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who claims Facebook knows its systems harm vulnerable people and hasn't made meaningful changes to prevent it. The platform is designed to exploit negative emotions to keep people on the platform, Haugen says.

Facebook has pushed back on Haugen's claims but hasn't pointed to any factual errors in her testimony or in a series of reports that outlined massive shortcomings at the social network, identified by its own internal research.

Bickert spoke to The Associated Press following Haugen's Senate testimony on Oct. 5. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Does Facebook prioritize engagement and profit over safety?

A: We do not and we have not prioritized engagement over safety. I’ve been at this company for more than nine years. I’m a mother. I also was a criminal prosecutor and worked on child safety for more than 10 years. And I can tell you I wouldn’t be at this company if we weren’t prioritizing safety.

Q: You’ve said repeatedly that the majority of teens have a positive experience on Instagram, but your research showed that some teens are harmed. What is Facebook doing specifically to address the issues that your own research raised?

A: The entire reason that we do research is because we understand that even if the majority of teens are getting support from their time on Instagram, even if a few teens are having a bad experience or a small number of teens are having a bad experience, that’s too many, and we need to build features and products to support them. And that’s exactly what we’ve done over the years.

Q: Is your repeated...