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Facebook turns its back on “Responsible Innovation”

Facebook turns its back on “Responsible Innovation”
Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

  • Updated:

Although it might be hard to believe considering the not insignificant amount of harm Facebook has caused in many countries all over the world, the company had a “Responsible Innovation” team that was responsibly highlighting all the potential harks and risks attached to Facebook products and services. The team was comprised of around 20 staff and worked with other product development teams within Meta. Unfortunately, however, that tiny safety net no longer exists as Meta has decided to disband the team while giving assurances that it will remain safe and ethical. Here is what you need to know.

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A report in The Wall Street Journal explains how Meta has decided to pull the plug on the “Responsible Innovation” team that was tasked with preventing unseen problems arising from the implementation of new Facebook features. An example of the type of work done by the team includes pushing the recommendation that users of Facebook Dating shouldn’t be able to filter potential romantic interests by race.

The team was made up of engineers, ethicists, and experts but also collaborated with external experts and academics and even Facebook users. Even though it has disbanded the team, Meta has stated that it is still dedicated to the goals of the team, which according to The Wall Street Journal included playing a:

“… formative role in future company products, beginning with encouraging newly hired engineers in how to think about potential downsides to what they build and then consulting on the design of specific products.”

Just how the company will remain committed to these goals, however, remains to be seen. In fact, although a Meta spokesperson did tell The Wall Street Journal that the members of the team would still have job opportunities at Meta, it was made clear that they have guaranteed new jobs.

In other Facebook News, Meta is trying to find new ways of charging you to use the social network.

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

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