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Language: en-US

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During my time at Facebook

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I came to realize a devastating truth.

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Almost no one outside of Facebook

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knows what happens inside of Facebook.

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The company intentionally hides vital information

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from the public, from the US government,

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and from governments around the world.

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But I'm here today because I
believe Facebook's products

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harm children, stoke division 
and weaken our democracy.

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The company's leadership knows 
how to make Facebook

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and Instagram safer, but won't make 
the necessary changes

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because they have put their 
astronomical profits before people.

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I saw Facebook repeatedly 
encounter conflicts between

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its own profits and our safety.

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Facebook consistently resolved these conflicts

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in favor of its own profits.

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The result has been more division, more harm,

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more lies, more threats and more combat.

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In some cases, this dangerous online talk

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has led to actual violence

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that harms and even kills people.

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It is causing teenagers to be exposed 
to more anorexia content. 

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It is pulling families apart.

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And in places like Ethiopia, it's literally 
fanning ethnic violence.

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I encourage reform of these platforms, not 
picking and choosing individual ideas.

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Instead, making the platforms themselves safer.

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Less twitchy, less reactive, less viral.

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Because that's how we scale-ably 
solve these problems.

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So they knew what they were doing.

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They knew where the violations were

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and they know they are guilty.

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They know this.

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Our children are the ones who are victims.

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Teens today, looking at themselves in the mirror,

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feel doubt and insecurity.

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Mark Zuckerberg ought to be looking 
at himself in the mirror today.

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And yet, rather than taking responsibility 
and showing leadership,

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Mr. Zuckerberg is going sailing.

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Very rarely do you have one of these 
generational shifts where

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the generation that leads, like parents, 
who guide their children

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have such a different set of 
experiences that they don't

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have the context to support 
their children in a safe way.

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Facebook's own research says kids 
today feel like they are

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struggling alone with all these issues 
because their parents can't guide them.

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And one of the things I'm saddest 
when I look on Twitter,

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is when people blame the parents 
for these problems with Facebook.

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They say, "just take your kid's phone away."

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And the reality is those issues are a lot

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more complicated than that.

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These problems are solvable. 
A safer, free speech-respecting,

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more enjoyable social media is possible.

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But there is one thing that I 
hope everyone takes away

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from these disclosures, it is 
that Facebook can change

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but is clearly not going to do so on its own.

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When we realized big tobacco was 
hiding the harms it caused,

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the government took action.

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When we figured out cars were 
safer with seat belts,

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the government took action.

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And when our government learned 
that opioids were taking lives,

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the government took action.

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Congressional action is needed.

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They won't solve this crisis without your help.