I want to start a youth movement: Facebook whistleblower

What exactly does one do after leaking thousands of documents from the world's most powerful social media company? For Frances Haugen, the answer is obvious: start a youth movement.

Facebook has faced stinging criticism over the whistleblower's document drop, not least the revelations that the company knew its Instagram photo app had the potential to harm teen mental health.

Ex-Facebook engineer Haugen believes young people have more reason than anyone else to pressure social media companies to do better.

"I want to start a youth movement," she told AFP in a wide-ranging interview, adding that youngsters who have grown up online should not feel so "powerless" over the social networks enmeshed in their lives.

Haugen has spent nearly two months in the spotlight over her claims that Facebook has consistently prioritised profits over people's safety, and supporters and foes alike are wondering what comes next.

The interview on Friday at a luxury Paris hotel, carefully watched by her lawyer, came at the end of a European tour that was managed by a slick public relations team, with financial backing from the philanthropic organisation of eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar.

Haugen, 37, has addressed lawmakers in London, Brussels and Paris, as well as a cheering crowd of thousands at a Lisbon tech conference.

Both Britain and the EU are currently debating new tech regulation, and she said the tour was an opportunity "to influence where those regulations are going".

Radicalised friend

Iowa-born Haugen knew very well before she went to work for Facebook that its sites were capable of sending people down dangerous rabbit holes.

A close friend who became radicalised in 2016 was convinced that billionaire George Soros secretly controlled the economy.

"That was very painful," she said.

Haugen nonetheless worked at Facebook for two years before resigning in May, saying she was immediately "very shocked" by a persistent failure to tackle harmful side-effects such as spiralling hate speech in politically volatile countries like Myanmar.

Despite her attempt to influence legislation in Europe, Haugen's faith in regulation is limited -- by the time lawmakers agree, the technology will have moved on.

Instead, she wants Facebook to be legally required to implement policies in response to potential harms identified by the people who use it.

"Facebook has never had to tell us before how it's going to fix harms. They always do the same thing when there's a scandal: they're like, 'we're sorry, this is hard, we're working on it'," Haugen said.