FOLLOW US

America October 12, 2021 3 mins read

Facebook safety features added in response to whistleblower

America ı By Jackie Allen

0 Comments

safetycheckmobielcarousel

Facebook says it will do better to protect teens on Instagram. And Facebook safety features will also be put in place. They claim this is in response to the recent whistleblower. 

 Nick Clegg, Vice President of Global Affairs told several Sunday morning talk shows the company plans to implement new Facebook safety tools. And the tools will divert users away from harmful content. And give concerned parents more control of their teens' Instagram accounts.

The VP explained that the tech mega-giant was responding to whistleblower Frances Haugen's Senate testimony before the Senate last week. 

Before testifying Haugen hit the morning talk shows. The ex-Facebook employee also leaked documents that indicate Facebook-owned Instagram is harmful to teens.

Facebook safety features and audit

Some of the tools urge younger users on Instagram for long periods of time to "take a break."  Other features will allow Facebook users to reduce or opt out of politics.

The company's planned “Instagram Kids” program has been paused. And Clegg says not implementing the service, for children 13 and under, is a part of the solution.

As congressional leaders call for more transparency from the tech giant on user privacy, Clegg urges lawmakers to come on board. And in addition to the Facebook safety features, they are welcoming more oversight from Congress.

The company will be sending data on content it publishes every 3 months to an independent audit, Clegg says. He told ABC, "we need to be held to account."

"We're not saying this is somehow a substitution of our own responsibilities, but there are a whole bunch of things that only regulators and lawmakers can do," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "And at the end of the day, I don't think anyone wants a private company to adjudicate on these really difficult trade-offs between free expression on one hand and moderating or removing content on the other."

Facebook  mostly agrees with Haugen

"Our job is to mitigate and reduce the bad and amplify the good, and I think those investments, that technology and some of that evidence of how little hate speech there is compared to a few years ago, shows that we are moving in the right direction," Clegg says.

Haugen told a Senate panel  the company consistently “puts its own profits over users' health and safety.”

"We have no commercial incentive to do anything other than try and make sure that the experience is positive," Clegg emphasizes. "We can't change human nature. We always see bad things online. We can do everything we can to try to reduce and mitigate them."

 

Previous Article

Court Shuts Down An International Psychic Mail Fraud Scheme

Read More
3417 Posts

Jackie Allen

Jackie is a freelance journalist and technology geek. She worked as a telecom project director for AT&T and BellSouth. Before joining the USA Herald she has written books, articles, blogs and whitepapers. Her clients include Samsung and other technology companies.

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion!

Don’t Miss It
America October 23, 2026 Lawyers Could Collect $1.27 Billion in Meta Privacy Case By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 23, 2026 Plutonium Pit Production Faces Safety and Cost Questions By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 23, 2026
Judge Orders Trump to Sit for…

MIAMI — President Donald Trump must sit for a sworn…

By – Derek Johnson
America October 22, 2026
Pope Leo XIV Needs No Further…

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV will not require additional…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 22, 2026
Six Women Testify in Russell Brand…

LONDON — Six women have testified in the Russell Brand…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 22, 2026
Websites Go Dark as AI Uncovers…

The PHP security crisis has pushed government websites offline and…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
El Nino Could Reach Historic Strength,…

GENEVA — El Nino, a powerful climate pattern that warms…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
News Overload Can Fuel Anxiety and…

News keeps people informed about wars, political conflict, public safety…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Atlanta Rapper Indicted in Alleged $4.6…

ATLANTA — Shawtey Dred, the social media persona of Atlanta…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
Intuitive Surgical $450M Settlement Targets Da…

Intuitive Surgical has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Getty Images Files Chapter 11 With…

Getty Images Holdings Inc., the visual content giant behind millions…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Meta Stock in Focus as Earnings,…

Meta delivered a powerful revenue performance in its third-quarter earnings…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 21, 2026
Pantheon $6B Secondaries Fund Marks Firm’s…

Private markets investor Pantheon has secured $6 billion in capital…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
Spartanburg Woman $8K Insurance Fraud Case…

A South Carolina woman is behind bars after investigators accused…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
Musk and Trump Have a Starlink…

Opinion | Starlink restrictions in Ukraine have exposed a problem Elon Musk…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 21, 2026
Texas Trans Texts Spark Election Propaganda…

News Analysis | Texas voters began casting early ballots Monday,…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
California Ballots: DOJ Cites Charges Against…

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is citing charges against 28…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
Richard Riehle Dies at 78, Leaving…

Richard Riehle, the character actor whose memorable roles included “Office…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 20, 2026
Extreme Heat Is Spreading and Lasting…

An extreme heat event lasting 367 days touched nearly 85%…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 19, 2026
Information Ecosystem: Five Tools to Detect…

The information ecosystem is increasingly vulnerable to misinformation. There are…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 21, 2026
TDI Launches Insurance Fraud Task Force…

The Texas Department of Insurance has launched a coordinated push…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
Children’s Mercy Insurance Coverage Changes: Kansas…

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City will no longer participate…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 21, 2026
BioWare Closing: EA Shuts Down Legendary…

Electronic Arts is reshaping its videogame empire in a sweeping…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 20, 2026
Auto-Owners Insurers Verdict: Jury Awards Warehouse…

A North Carolina federal jury has awarded nearly $2 million…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 20, 2026
NJ $10M Car Insurance Fine: Geico…

New Jersey insurance regulators have accused Geico of overcharging motorists…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 20, 2026
Ara Partners $2.5B Energy Fund Reaches…

Ara Partners has secured $2.5 billion in capital commitments for…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
HealthSplash VP 18 Months Sentencing Rewards…

Cooperation can shave years off a prison term, but it…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Daylight Saving Time Returns Nov. 1…

Americans will turn their clocks back one hour on Nov.…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 16, 2026
California Identifies New York Life, Aetna,…

Key Takeaways   California’s Department of Insurance maintains an official…

By – Samuel Lopez
America October 16, 2026
Three Children, Teacher Killed in Oregon…

BEND, Ore. — An Oregon school shooting killed three children…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 15, 2026
Trump Scraps Hegseth’s Execution Livestream After…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump canceled the planned execution livestream…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV’s Surgery Exposes Gap…

By Samuel López | USA Herald VATICAN CITY — As…

By – Samuel Lopez
America October 19, 2026
An Airman Died After a Pregame…

By Michallie K. Harrison | Opinion Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson’s…

By – Michallie K Harrison
America October 16, 2026
NFL Player $300M Hip Surgery Lawsuit…

Athletes bet their bodies on surgeons the way pilots bet…

By – Tyler Brooks
America October 16, 2026
Russian Drone Strikes Hit American Businesses…

Russian drone strikes against American-linked businesses in Ukraine are raising…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 11, 2026
AP Poll Top 25: Georgia Claims…

Georgia has reclaimed the top spot in the AP Poll…

By – Rachel Moore
America October 10, 2026
A.J. Armstrong: Former NFL Player’s Son…

 HOUSTON — Antonio “A.J.” Armstrong Jr., the son of former…

By – Jackie Allen
America October 9, 2026
NFL Pro Tyreek Hill Takes the…

What the Jury Is Hearing Lakeeta “Keeta” Vaccaro Hill testified…

By – Samuel Lopez

No posts found.

No posts found.

Signup for the USA Herald
exclusive Newsletter