Facebook’s promise to implement a “Clear History” function is another example of how the company pays lip service to user’s privacy concerns, according to the company’s former employees.
In 2018, following reports that the political consultancy company Cambridge Analytica secretly obtained user data from millions of people, Facebook announced plans to introduce a “Clear History” feature to remove browsing information that the social media platform uses for targeted advertising.
Former Facebook employees told BuzzFeed News that the proposal, introduced during CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s address at the annual F8 developers conference last May, came as a surprise to the event planners. BuzzFeed News’ sources described the move as “reactionary,” and an attempt to improve the company’s public image.
“If you watch the presentation, we really had nothing to show anyone,” said an unnamed person close to the event. “Mark just wanted to score some points.”
Facebook denied that the promises to improve users’ privacy are being used to distract from the company’s failings.
“We know we have work to do to regain people's trust, and it's why we've strengthened our teams, created a new privacy and data use organization, built new tools, and set clearer policies designed to better protect people's information,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News in a statement.
Another former employee said that Zuckerberg and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg won’t act “until pressure is applied,” and “that pressure could come from the press or regulators, but they’re not keen on decision-making until they’re forced to do so.”
This person added, “Whether it is with genocide or false news, there are never going to be changes until the pressure becomes too great.”
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