Social media giant Meta, whose platforms are regularly accused by NGOs and politicians of harming its users and democracy, released its first annual report on its human rights efforts on Thursday. It covers the years 2020 and 2021 and reviews the various measures taken by Facebook and Instagram, for example to combat misinformation around Covid, and summarizes studies already published, such as on elections in the US or the Philippines.
“The report explains how our data policies, law enforcement response team and assessments help protect people from unlawful or excessive government surveillance.“, the press release of the California group states. Meta, like its neighbor Google, has recently been challenged by elected officials, associations and journalists on the topic of protecting the data of women seeking abortions in the US, a constitutional right that was struck down by the US Supreme Court in 2013. June.
They fear that tech groups will be legally mandated to hand over the personal data of women who, for example, have sought assisted abortion (IVG) services in US states where abortion is available. now banned or severely restricted. “Consistent with our human rights policy, we are committed to commenting on government requests as narrowly as possible.Meta’s director of human rights, Miranda Sissons, told AFP.
Compliance with international standards
“Where local and international standards differ, we strive to adhere to international standards as far as possible.She added, without elaborating on the specific concerns of women in the United States. The report states that if a request does not comply with the law or Meta’s regulations, the company “repels“. The American group is also revising its efforts to end-to-end encrypt these messages, as WhatsApp already does, which is a means of “protect the privacy of users, especially journalists and human rights defenders“.
Meta has been heavily criticized for its economic model over the years, accused of supporting content that grabs the attention of users, meaning that it is often violent, sensational or hateful. Its leaders have taken many steps to combat misinformation and improve content moderation. But revelations last fall by Francis Haugen, a former Facebook IT specialist, further tarnished the company’s reputation. He drummed in front of various parliaments that Meta was doing.put profits before users“.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.