Facebook is being investigated over leaked company documents and allegations by a former employee, according to financial filings.
The company’s 10-Q form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday mentions that Facebook is “subject to government investigations and requests” seemingly related to documents leaked by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen that detail tech giant’s business practices and internal research.
“For example, beginning in September 2021, we became subject to government investigations and requests relating to a former employee’s allegations and release of internal company documents concerning, among other things, our algorithms, advertising and user metrics, and content enforcement practices, as well as misinformation and other undesirable activity on our platform, and user well-being,” the form read.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen testified on Capitol Hill this week about how Facebook allegedly drives divisive and false narratives to maximize its profits. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
It is not clear from the filing which government entity or entities, or even which government, is investigating the company. Facebook did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. (RELATED: Facebook’s Whistleblower Could Be The Best Thing To Ever Happen To Big Tech)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is at least one of the entities investigating Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The FTC declined to comment.
The agency is reportedly investigating Facebook for the alleged negative effects its platform has on users in addition to whether it violated the terms of a $5 billion privacy settlement with the FTC in 2019, the WSJ reported. The agency has also reportedly been communicating with Frances Haugen’s “team,” which includes Democratic operative Bill Burton and Whistleblower Aid lawyer Mark Zaid.
Haugen filed whistleblower complaints with the SEC which allege that Facebook executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, misled investors by misrepresenting the company’s content moderation policies and how its algorithms worked. Haugen also alleged the company played a role in stoking division and promoting incendiary content before the Jan. 6 riots.
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