BERLIN (dpa) – Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is concerned about Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to direct the online giant into the virtual world of “Metaverse”.
“Personally, the idea scares me of bringing more microphones and sensors from Facebook into our homes and offices and letting them spy on us while we have no idea how they use the data,” Haugen told the German press on Wednesday.
Facebook has repeatedly shown that the company cannot be trusted and that public statements do not match developments in the group. Haugen specifically confirmed that Facebook wanted to offer devices like virtual reality glasses that could display virtual reality at cost. “They want to make it impossible for others to compete with them on an equal footing because Facebook can burn money to get into their heads.”
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and president of Facebook, recently announced the group’s rebranding to Meta in order to emphasize the focus on the “Metaverse” as the future of digital communications.
The former Facebook employee Haugen has downloaded a large set of internal documents and made them available to the US Congress, select authorities and media. According to her, the information shows that the group puts profits above the welfare of its users. Internal signals of developments harmful to users have been ignored. Facebook rejects these allegations.
Haugen has welcomed the Internet’s current decision to crush facial recognition functionality. “I think this shows how important it is that we take a tough stance on Facebook’s actions,” she said. “Because if we unite and demand reasonable things, we can make progress.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 211103-99-850469 / 2
