Zuckerberg terms whistleblower's 'FB is for profit over safety' claim illogical

Washington: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday responded to claims that showed the social media giant in a negative light by saying that it prioritises profit over user safety are "just not true".

"The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical," Zuckerberg wrote in a note to Facebook employees that he posted on his public account.

"We care deeply about issues like safety, wellbeing, and mental health. It's difficult to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motives. At the most basic level, I think most of us just don't recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted," Zuckerberg wrote.

"We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don't want their ads next to harmful or angry content. And I don't know any tech company that sets out to build products that make people angry or depressed. The moral, business and product incentives all point in the opposite direction."

The response comes after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen fronted the US Senate as part of its inquiry into Facebook's operations, declaring the company as "morally bankrupt" and casting "the choices being made inside of Facebook" as "disastrous for our children, our privacy, and our democracy".

"Of everything published, I'm particularly focused on the questions raised about our work with kids," Zuckerberg said. "I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the kinds of experiences I want my kids and others to have online, and it's very important to me that everything we build is safe and good for kids."

He did, however, appear to agree with Haugen on the need for updated internet regulations, saying that would relieve private companies from having to make decisions on social issues on their own.

"We're committed to doing the best work we can, but at some level, the right body to assess tradeoffs between social equities is our democratically elected Congress," he wrote.