Facebook is reportedly trying to reduce internal data leaks by making some of its internal online discussion groups private rather than public. Facebook told employees on Tuesday that it will limit the number of people who can view and participate in certain “Integrity” groups focused on the platform’s security, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
See also: Survey: Large percentage of Canadians have negative views of Facebook
See also: Facebook Whistleblower: Frances Haugen to testify in Europe
The move comes after whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, revealed thousands of documents and internal communications that showed Facebook knew about the risks of its products but downplayed those findings publicly.
Last week, Haugen appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee and alleged that Facebook’s products “harm children, fuel division, and weaken democracy.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized Haugen’s testimony, saying it presents a “false picture” of the social network.
“As everyone is probably aware, we have seen an increase in integrity-related leaks in recent months,” an engineering director wrote in the statement, which was reviewed by the Times. “These leaks are not representative of the nuances and complexities involved in our work and are often taken out of context, leading to our work being mischaracterized externally.”
Tuesday’s announcement said some of the discussion groups would be reviewed and people whose work is not related to security would be removed. Facebook’s announcement said the changes were expected to happen “in the coming months” and “with the expectation that sensitive discussions about integrity in the future will take place in closed, moderated forums,” the Times reported.
Facebook on Wednesday defended its move, saying the information leaks were harming the company's work.
See also: Android app with malicious code steals Facebook credentials
“Leaks reduce the effectiveness, efficiency, and morale of the teams that work every day to address the challenges that come with running a platform for billions of people,” said Facebook spokeswoman Tracy Clayton. “They can also put employees working on sensitive issues at risk externally and lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of complex issues.”
Information source: cnet.com
