Facebook whistleblower lands book deal

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is writing a book that will include “a critical examination of Facebook,” after revealing what critics say is damning information about the social media giant.

Little, Brown and Co, an imprint of the publishing house Hachette Book Group, announced on Thursday that it will be publishing Haugen’s book.

The title and release date for the book have not yet been determined, according to The Associated Press. The imprint did not reveal any financial terms of the deal.

The book, according to a statement from Little, Brown and Co., will provide a “critical examination” of Facebook, revealing how it “protects profits over people.”

It will also illustrate how Frances is “uniquely positioned to see the systemic issues that fanned Facebook’s flames and gave her the conviction to come forward when tens of thousands of others did not.”

Additionally the imprint said the book, which was described as a memoir, will reveal what led her to speak out about Facebook and why she still has faith in Facebook and believes society can “fix social media.” 

We are honored to share that we will be publishing @FrancesHaugen’s book. https://t.co/weuTjcjs8s

— Little, Brown and Co (@littlebrown) December 16, 2021

“During my time at Facebook I realized a devastating truth: almost nobody outside of Facebook knows what happens inside of Facebook. They operate in the dark,” Haugen said in a statement.

“They win by keeping their systems closed without oversight or transparency, by shrouding their operations in secrecy and PR spin. I came forward because I believe that every human being deserves the dignity of the truth — and the truth is that Facebook buys its astronomical profits by sacrificing our safety. But it does not have to be this way — these problems are solvable. We can have social media we love that also brings out the best in humanity. My hope is that this book will show us the way,” she added.

The imprint said the book is “a personal story told with authority, nuance, and masterful clarity.”

Haugen provided the internal documents behind a September report from The Wall Street Journal that accused Facebook of downplaying the negative effects of Instagram, letting anti-vaccine activists spread misinformation and failing to provide an adequate response when concerns regarding human traffickers on the platform were aired.

She revealed her identity in early October during an interview that aired on “60 Minutes,” making a number of damning claims about her former employer.

She said the tech giant engaged in a “betrayal of democracy” when it scaled back anti-misinformation efforts in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. and argued that the company prioritized growth over safety.

Haugen has since testified before congressional committees, painting an unfavorable picture of the tech giant. In one appearance, Haugen said the company is aware that its algorithm is harming people who are already vulnerable, and that the objective of the platform is to take advantage of negative emotions to hook people into spending more time online, according to the Associated Press.

Facebook objected to the Wall Street Journal report, saying it “contained deliberate mischaracterizations of what we are trying to do, and conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook’s leadership and employees.”

Facebook employed Haugen in 2019 to serve as lead product manager at its civic integrity unit. She amassed 15 years of experience before moving to Facebook, having previously worked at other tech companies such as Google and Yelp, according to the AP.

Updated 12/20/2021 at 5:05 p.m.