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Second Facebook whistleblower says she has documents showing ‘potential criminal violations’

Story at a glance

  • A former Facebook employee who said she has delivered documentation to authorities detailing allegations against the company is willing to testify before Congress.
  • Zhang wrote in a memo after she was terminated that the company did not do enough to stifle misinformation outside the U.S.
  • “If Congress wishes for me to testify, I will fulfill my civic duty, as I’ve publicly stated for the past half year,” she tweeted on Monday.
  • A Facebook spokesperson told CNN on Monday that the company has invested billions in safety and security.

A former Facebook employee who said she has delivered documentation to authorities detailing allegations against the company is willing to testify before Congress.

Sophie Zhang previously worked for the social media giant as a data scientist and wrote a memo after she was terminated maintaining the company did not do enough to stifle misinformation outside the U.S., CNN reported

“If Congress wishes for me to testify, I will fulfill my civic duty, as I’ve publicly stated for the past half year,” she tweeted on Monday

Zhang’s 6,600-word memo was first reported by Buzzfeed News last year. 

Zhang reportedly wrote in the memo that in her time at the company, she “found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry, and caused international news on multiple occasions.” 


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“I provided detailed documentation regarding potential criminal violations to a U.S. law enforcement agency. My understanding is that the investigation is still ongoing,” she tweeted Sunday.

Zhang did not reveal to CNN on Sunday — days after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before congress — which agencies were given the information. 

A Facebook spokesperson told the network on Monday, that the company has invested billions in safety and security. 

“We have also taken down over 150 networks seeking to manipulate public debate since 2017, and they have originated in over 50 countries, with the majority coming from or focused outside of the US. Our track record shows that we crack down on abuse abroad with the same intensity that we apply in the US,” the spokesperson told CNN.


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