A Facebook software engineer on Tuesday quit the company alleging that the social media giant is “profiting off hate”. Ashok Chandwaney posted a letter on Facebook’s internal employee network after 8 am saying, “I’m quitting because I can no longer stomach contributing to an organization that is profiting off hate in the US and globally.”
The nearly 1,300-word letter, which has made very specific claims against the company, was accessed by The Washington Post. Chandwaney, 28, became the latest employee to resign from Facebook amid growing discontent against the companies policies on hate.
Responding to the allegation, Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said, “We don’t benefit from hate. We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and are in deep partnership with outside experts to review and update our policies. This summer we launched an industry leading policy to go after QAnon, grew our fact-checking program, and removed millions of posts tied to hate organizations – over 96% of which we found before anyone reported them to us.”
Chandwaney, who identifies himself as a gender non-binary and uses they and them as pronouns, said although Facebook is a genial and supportive workplace, it has not done enough to tackle racism, disinformation and incitements to violence. Citing specific incidents, the 28-year-old spoke of the company’s role in fueling genocide in Myanmar and violence in Kenosha.
In his letter, he further highlights Facebook’s refusal to remove US President Donald Trump’s post from May saying “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”. Talking about the company’s response to ongoing civil rights issues, he said, “There have been so many comments that have been PR fluff rather than substantive.”
He also spoke out about the company’s policy that lets politicians to make claims which may not be factually correct. “Allowing lies in election ads is pretty damaging, especially in the current political moment we’re in.”
Citing the work of civil rights group Color of Change, a critic of Facebook, Chandwaney said, “It is clear to me that despite the best efforts of many of us who work here, and outside advocates like Color Of Change, Facebook is choosing to be on the wrong side of history.”
The civil rights group had alleged that several people of colour withing the company have complained of about the company’s stance on similar issues. “We need more Facebook employees to speak out. We need more Facebook people to push harder,” group’s executive director, Rashad Robinson said. “I’ve just come to realize how all of these moments have hit them, how much they don’t trust Mark Zuckerberg.”
Facebook, which counts India among its largest markets with over 300 million users, has also been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleged that its content policies favoured the ruling BJP in India. The report had alleged that Facebook had ignored posts containing hate speech by a BJP MLA.
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