By Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer
A Facebook executive is pushing back on a whistleblower's claims — supported by the company's own internal research — that the social network's products harm children and fuel polarization in the U.S.
Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of global policy management, told The Associated Press Wednesday that "we do not and we have not prioritized engagement over safety." Bickert said the reason Facebook researches teen well-being on Instagram is so that the company can build better products and features to support them.
Whistleblower Frances Haugen, however, testified before the Senate Tuesday that Facebook knows that vulnerable people are harmed by its systems and has not made meaningful changes to prevent it. The platform is designed to exploit negative emotions to keep people on the platform, she said.
"They are aware of the side effects of the choices they have made around amplification," Haugen said. "They know that algorithmic-based rankings, or engagement-based rankings, keeps you on their sites longer. You have longer sessions, you show up more often, and that makes them more money."
Bickert pointed to features and tools Facebook has introduced over the years, such as hiding "like counts" on Instagram "which means when you post something, if you're a young person, you don't have to worry about how many people are going to like your post and whether people will see that."
But Facebook's own researchers found that hiding like counts did not help make teenagers feel better.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More