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BRIAN: THE FACEBOOK
WHISTLEBLOWER WHO RELEASED TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF INTERNAL
DOCUMENTS SHOWING THE SOCIAL
MEDIA GIANT KNEW OF ITS HARMFUL
EFFECTS ON TEENS IS SPEAK OUT
AHEAD OF HER SENATE TESTIMONY
TOMORROW.
THIS AS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND
WHAT’S APP ARE SUFFERING, HAVE
BEEN SUFFERING WIDESPREAD,
WORLDWIDE OUTAGES ALL DAY.
SHE SAYS THE PLATFORM DOESN’T
CARE ABOUT YOUR WELL-BEING.
>> THE THING I SAW AT FACEBOOK
OVER AND IS OVER AGAIN WAS THERE
WERE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
BETWEEN WHAT WAS GOOD FOR THE
PUBLIC AND IS WHAT WAS GOOD FOR
FACEBOOK.
AND FACEBOOK OVER AND OVER AGAIN
CHOSE TO OPTIMIZE FOR ITS OWN
INTERESTS LIKE MAKING MORE
MONEY.
IT CHOOSES PROFIT OVER SAFETY.
I’VE SEEN A BUNCH OF SOCIAL
NETWORKS, AND IT WAS
SUBSTANTIALLY WORSE AT FACEBOOK
THAN ANYTHING I’VE SEEN BEFORE.
BRIAN: KARA FREDERICK FROM THE
HERITAGE FOUNDATION IS A FORMER
FACEBOOK INTEL ANALYST.
CARA, YOU’RE THE RIGHT PERSON,
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE’RE GOING
HEAR IN THESE HEARINGS TOMORROW
FROM THE WHISTLEBLOWER?
>> I THINK IT’LL BE REALLY
INTERESTING.
WHAT I AM WORRIED ABOUT,
SOMETHING THAT MAY MERGE
TOMORROW IS I SENSE A RED FLAG
AFTER THAT EPISODE LAST NIGHT
WHERE SHE SORT OF WAXED ON ABOUT
THE ISSUES SHE SAW AT FACEBOOK.
IN MY MIND, I WANT THE DOCUMENTS
AND THOSE LEAKS AND FACEBOOK’S
KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR OWN TOXICITY
TO SPEAK FOR ITSELF.
BECAUSE THE NEWS COVERAGE AND
ALL THE EDITORIALIZING, IT
AMOUNTS TO THAT RED FLAG OF
PEOPLE NOT NECESSARILY THINKING
THAT FACEBOOK IS POLICING HATE
OR WHAT THEY CONSIDER HATE OR
MISINFORMATION ENOUGH.
AND WE KNOW THAT WHEN THESE BIG
TECH COMPANIES, WHEN THEY SAY WE
HAVE MISINFORMATION ON OUR
PLATFORM, THAT DEFINITION
CHANGES BY THE HOUR, IT’S A BIG
BUCKET THAT THEY ENCOMPASS, THAT
THEY USE TO BROADEN THAT
DEFINITION.
AND THEN IT DOESN’T REALLY
REDOUND TO THE BENEFIT OF
CONSERVATIVES.
A SLEW OF REPUBLICAN CONGRESS
MEMBERS COME TO MIND WHEN THEY
WERE DEPLATFORMED FOR TALKING
ABOUT COVID, WHEN RON DeSANTIS
HAD A ROUND TABLE ABOUT KIDS AND
THE COVID ISSUE.
SO IN MY MIND, I THINK WE NEED
TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT IS
GOING TO HAPPEN IN THAT HEARING
AND WHAT CONCLUSIONS THEY’RE
SORT OF PUSHING US TOWARD WHEN
IT COMES TO HEAVY-HANDED
POLICING.
BRIAN: YEAH.
THIS SEEMS TO BE BEING SPUN A
LITTLE BIT IN THE DIRECTION OF
LET’S FIGHT MISINFORMATION,
THAT’S THE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS
STORY.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S THE
TAKEAWAY AT ALL.
I WANT TO PUT UP A COUPLE OF
STATS HERE FROM SOME OF THE
DOCUMENTS THAT WERE RELEASED.
ONE IN THREE TEEN GIRLS,
INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK KNEW
INSTAGRAM MAKES BODY ISSUES
WORSE FOR ONE IN THREE TEEN
GIRLS.
ANOTHER STAT ON THE NUMBER WHO
FEEL WORSE AFTER USING
INSTAGRAM, 32% OF USERS.
LOOK, KARA, I’VE GOT THREE KIDS.
PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN UNDERSTAND
ALL THE DYNAMICS THAT GO WITH
THESE PRODUCTS.
WHAT’S A CRAZY HERE IS THIS IS
INTERNAL RESEARCH THAT FACEBOOK
HAD DONE, AND THEY ESSENTIALLY
CHOSE TO DO NOTHING WITH IT.
AND, IN FACT, FIND NEW WAYS LIKE
INSTAGRAM KIDS WHICH THEY JUST
CANCELED THOUSAND TO GET YOUR
KIDS -- NOW TO GET YOUR KIDS
MORE HOOKED TO THESE PRODUCTS.
>> BRIAN, THEY DIDN’T EVEN
CANCEL THAT, THEY JUST PUT IT ON
PAUSE.
THEY WANTED INPUT.
AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF PUBLIC
PRESSURE, "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL" REALLY EXPOSING THEM.
THINK IF THE "WALL STREET
JOURNAL" NEVER RAN THAT EXPOSE,
WHAT WOULD THEY BE DOING NOW?
THEY EXPLICITLY SAID TWEENS ARE
AN UNTAPPED MARKET.
THAT MEANS THEY ARE TRYING TO
GET THEIR PLATFORM IN THE HANDS
OF YOUR CHILDREN, AND THEY’RE
DOING CAN IT ON PURPOSE.
SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT VERY
SERIOUSLY.
AND LOOK AT SOME OF THEIR
MOTIVATIONS AND JUST REALLY BE
VERY CIRCUMSPECT ABOUT WHAT
THESE COMPANIES SAY WHEN IT
COMES TO YOUR KIDS.
BRIAN: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SEE
THIS GO FROM HERE?
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THE HEARING,
IT WON’T BE THE LAST.
THERE’S ALL SORTS OF REMEDIES
OUT ON THE BOARD FROM ANTITRUST
TO MORE REGULATION.
IF WE’RE GOING TO GET THIS
RIGHT, IF WE’RE GOING TO RESPOND
RIGHT TO THIS ISSUE, WHAT DO YOU
THINK CONGRESS NEEDS TO DO, WHAT
ELSE DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO
HAPPEN?
>> THERE’S A A LITANY OF
SOLUTIONS AND SOME THAT WE’RE
PROPOSING AT THE HERITAGE
FOUNDATION.
WE WANT TO LOOK AT OPEN UP ALL
FRONTS AGAINST CONSERVATIVE
CENSORSHIP AND WHAT THESE
PLATFORMS ARE DOING.
WE WANT TO PROMOTE THE GOOD
EFFORTS OF THE STATES.
IF THEY WANT TO BE DIGITAL TEST
BEDS OF DEMOCRACY, LET THE
STATES PASS LAWS AND SEE WHICH
ONES ARE GOOD AND WHICH ONES
EFFECTIVELY REIN IN THESE TECH
COMPANIES.
I ALSO THINK THAT FACEBOOK
OUTAGE RIGHT NOW, THERE’S NO
BETTER ARGUMENT FOR GETTING ON
CONSERVATIVE-FRIENDLY PLATFORMS.
THOSE FOUNDERS, THOSE
TECHNOLOGISTS, IF YOU’RE
THINKING OF CREATING A PLATFORM
THAT REALLY DOES STAND UP FOR
THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, PULL
THE TRIGGER NOW BECAUSE
CONSERVATIVES SHOULD BE ON THESE
PLATFORMS X. THEN LET’S GENERATE
SOME SORT OF ENERGY WITHIN CIVIL
SOCIETY, LET’S USE THAT CRITICAL
RACE THEORY MODEL AND GET THE
GRASSROOTS INVOLVEED BECAUSE
THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND FOCUS
ON REFORM OF SECTION 230.
THERE’S A ROLE FOR CONGRESS TO
PLAY AS WELL, AND THEY SHOULD
PLAY IT.
BE BRAVE, CONGRESS MEMBERS, BE
BRAVE.
BRIAN: WELL, SOMETHING NEEDS TO
HAPPEN, AND I LOVE YOUR IDEA
THAT IT STARTS AT THE BOTTOM