Facebook agrees to grant regulators access to its algorithms to prove their safety

Facebook is prepared for tighter scrutiny to ensure its algorithms work as intended and do not harm users. The statement was made by Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, in an interview on CNN.

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“Algorithms must be made accountable if required by law so that users can compare what our systems are supposed to do with what actually happens,” he said.

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He also said that Facebook is open to changing the 1996 US law that shields companies from liability for user posts. The company welcomes such restrictive measures, “provided that they apply their systems and policies as they should.”

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Clegg also outlined planned updates on Instagram designed to safeguard teenage well-being. Among them are algorithmic substitution of harmful content with neutral content, parental controls, and break reminders.

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Earlier, a former Facebook product manager told the U.S. Senate that the social network uses algorithms to inflame hatred for profit. The company rejected the allegations.

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The whistleblower will meet with the House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and will also testify before the UK Parliament.

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Clegg again dismissed as unfounded the whistleblower’s allegations that the company places profit above user safety.

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As reported on the evening of October 4, users worldwide reported outages in Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Services were restored after six hours.

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Facebook’s team said the cause was a change in the configuration of backbone routers, and user data were not affected.

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