Facebook willing to open algorithms to regulators

Washington

FACEBOOK'S chief spokesman said the company is willing to subject itself to greater oversight to ensure its algorithms are performing as intended and aren't harming users.

Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice-president for global affairs, defended the company's business practices against accusations from a whistle-blower that it had put profits ahead of users' well-being. The algorithms "should be held to account, if necessary by regulation so that people can match what our systems say they're supposed to do from what actually happens", Clegg said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday (Oct 10).

Clegg also said that Facebook is open to changing a 1996 provision of US law that insulates companies from liability for what users post. Facebook is open to limiting those protections, "contingent on them applying the systems and their policies as they're supposed to", he said.

Last week, Frances Haugen, a former product manager for Facebook, told a panel of the Senate Commerce Committee that the company's pursuit of profits stoked division and harmed the mental health of young users. Haugen had also sent information to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The testimony gave momentum to recent efforts by lawmakers to pass legislation to more heavily regulate the social media giant. BLOOMBERG