Two new complaints against Facebook have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by Whistleblower Aid, the nonprofit representing Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. The complaints accuse Facebook, now Meta, of misleading investors about its efforts to address misinformation about climate change and COVID-19.
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The first complaint alleges the presence of readily available climate change misinformation on Facebook, rendering Facebook’s claims that it is combating climate change denial untrue. It also contains internal documents detailing employees’ experiences with climate-related falsehoods on the platform. For example, one employee reports that he searched for “climate change” in the Watch and saw a video promoting “climate misinformation” as a second result. The video in question has reportedly garnered 6.6 million views. Another employee reportedly urged the company to remove climate misinformation, rather than simply labeling the posts as likely false.
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The complaint also mentions Climate Science Information Center , a hub for reliable information on climate change that launched in 2020. The complaint cites internal documents that claim user awareness of the hub was “very low,” suggesting it was not reaching its intended reach. Last year, Meta tried to bolster the Climate Science Information Center with additional quizzes, videos, and facts. A study conducted months later found that climate change denial had become even more prevalent on the platform.
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The second complaint alleges that Facebook’s promise to combat misinformation about COVID-19 is not matched by its actions. According to The Post, the complaint cites an internal document showing a 20 percent increase in misinformation in April 2020, as well as a May 2020 file in which employees point to the presence of hundreds of anti-quarantine groups. Last July, President Joe Biden accused Facebook and other social platforms of “killing people” with misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines.
Haugen leaked a trove of internal Facebook documents — called the Facebook Papers — to the Wall Street Journal last year. She has since testified before Congress to discuss potential changes to Section 230, the law that protects websites from legal liability for illegal content that users may post.
