Sophie Zhang, who said she felt she had "blood on her hands" after working at Facebook, is willing to testify before Congress about her former employer, she told CNN on Sunday. She said she had also turned over documents about the company to a U.S. law enforcement agency.
See also: Mark Zuckerberg Defends Facebook After Whistleblower Allegations
Zhang, who worked as a data scientist for the company for nearly three years, wrote a lengthy memo when she was fired from Facebook last year, saying she believed the company was not doing enough to address hate and misinformation, particularly in smaller and developing countries. Zhang said the company told her she was fired over performance issues.
Speaking to CNN from her Bay Area home on Sunday, Zhang said there appears to be bipartisan support for actions related to protecting children online, following whistleblower Frances Haugento a Senate subcommittee last week.
See also: Facebook Whistleblower: Accuses the company of profiteering
Zhang said she provided information about Facebook to authorities. “I provided detailed documentation regarding potential criminal violations to a U.S. law enforcement agency. I understand the investigation is still ongoing,” she wrote on Twitter.
He declined to share what information he had provided or to which agency when asked by CNN. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on Monday, adding: "The FBI does not confirm, deny or otherwise comment on information or tips we may receive from the public."
Central to Zhang's allegations about Facebook is that it is not doing enough to address abuse of its platform in countries outside the United States. About 90% of Facebook's monthly active users are located outside the US and Canada, according to its most recent quarterly report.
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A Facebook spokesperson rejected the accusation on Monday, saying the company has invested billions in security in recent years.
“We have also removed over 150 networks seeking to manipulate public discourse since 2017, originating from more than 50 countries, with the majority originating or focused outside the U.S. Our track record shows that we address abuse abroad with the same intensity that we apply in the U.S.,” the spokesperson added.
