Whistleblower Haugen says Facebook makes online hate worse

By KELVIN CHAN
AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told British lawmakers that the social media giant stokes online hate and extremism, fails to protect children from harmful content and lacks any incentive to fix the problems. Haugen spoke Monday before a parliamentary committee that’s working on legislation to rein in the power of social media companies. Her sharp comments are providing momentum for efforts by European governments working on stricter regulation of tech giants. She says algorithms that prioritize engagement take people with mainstream interests and push them to the extremes. Facebook says it wants regulation for tech companies and was glad the United Kingdom was leading the way.