FB Whistleblower Frances Haugen Invited to Speak to Oversight Board

A watchdog created to help decide what’s taken down or left up on Facebook and Instagram announced Monday it’s going to examine the criticism from a former employee who charged that the social medial platform elevates profits over the safety of vulnerable teens.

In a statement, the Oversight Board said "in light of the serious claims" about Facebook’s "content moderation" by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, it invited her to speak to the board.

In a tweet Monday, Haugen said she’d accepted — while tossing another firebomb, asserting "Facebook has lied to the board repeatedly, and I am looking forward to sharing the truth with them."

"Board members appreciate the chance to discuss Ms. Haugen’s experiences and gather information that can help push for greater transparency and accountability from Facebook through our case decisions and recommendations," the board statement said.

"As a Board, we will continue to ask Facebook difficult questions and push the company to commit to greater transparency, accountability and fairness," the statement added. "Ultimately, only this can give users the confidence that they are being treated fairly."

The statement declared the choices made by social media platforms "have real-world consequences for the freedom of expression and human rights of billions of people across the world."

"In this context, transparency around rules is essential."

Haugen had provided The Wall Street Journal with internal Facebook documents that became the center of the newspaper’s investigation of the company. She revealed her identity on "60 Minutes," and then days later testified before a Senate subcommittee that Facebook ignored warnings about misinformation and teen health, among other failings.

The Oversight Board has previously said it would review facts that surfaced in the Wall Street Journal series, including the existence of a Facebook program letting VIP users break company rules, Forbes reported. 

• Sen. Blackburn to Newsmax: Haugen Showed Facebook 'Working Outside' the Law
• Zuckerberg Denies Facebook Whistleblower's Claims on Safety