One of her most eye-catching suggestions is changing the ordering of news feeds on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook’s algorithms currently steer users to content that generates more engagement. Haugen told a Senate panel on Wednesday that this approach can have dire consequences: She believes these risks would be reduced by switching to a chronological newsfeed. Haugen argues that ordering posts by time would deliver safer content. Facebook may argue that this would trigger a proliferation of spam, but Haugen said that spam could be demoted in the news feed: Haugen’s proposal may well make news feeds less toxic. Engagement-based rankings, however, keep users on the sites for longer, which is integral to Facebook’s ad-based business model. As a specialist in “algorithmic product management” who’s worked for Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and Yelp, Haugen’s recommendations merit attention. But as someone who says Facebook consistently “chooses profit over safety,” she recognizes that the company is unlikely to follow her advice. Greetings Humanoids! Did you know we have a newsletter all about AI? You can subscribe to it right here.
