Part 1. Vocabulary
|
accusations |
/ˌakyəˈzāSH(ə)n/ n - a charge or claim that someone has done something
illegal or wrong Many accusations of bribery are given to government
officials. |
|
whistle-blower |
/ˈ(h)wisəl ˌblō(ə)r/ n - a person who informs on a person or organization
engaged in an illicit activity A whistle-blower will be placed under witness
protection. |
|
optimize |
/ˈäptəˌmīz/ v - make the best or most effective use of (a
situation, opportunity, or resource) To optimize viewing conditions, the microscope
should be correctly adjusted. |
|
narrative |
/ˈnerədiv/ n - a spoken or written account of connected events; a
story The hero in his narrative is his own brother. |
|
algorithm |
/ˈalɡəˌriT͟Həm/ n - a process or set of rules to be followed in
calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer As a computer programmer, you must be familiar with
algorithms. |
Part 2. Comprehensive Questions
Who
is the chief executive of Facebook Inc.?
What were the accusations that is said against Facebook?
Who was the former employee who testified in a Senate hearing about
Facebook?
What is the impact of Instagram on its teenage users?
Do you consider using Facebook safely? Why?
Part 3. Article Reading
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg addressed a recent series of negative stories about the company for the first time by saying accusations that it puts profit over user safety are “just not true.”
“It’s difficult to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motives. At the most basic level, I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted,” he wrote in a note to employees on Tuesday that he also posted publicly.
It came shortly after whistle-blower Frances Haugen, a former employee, testified in a Senate hearing about her experience there and internal research she said showed the company prioritized profit while stoking division. Haugen appeared on “60 Minutes” Sunday night, saying Facebook routinely made decisions that put business interests ahead of user safety.
“There were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook,” she said. “Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests like making more money.”
Zuckerberg wrote that he was bothered by a narrative that Facebook is not worried about children’s safety. Two Senate hearings over the past week have focused on Facebook’s impact on teens and young children, including Haugen’s testimony.
The Wall Street Journal published
internal Facebook research last month, provided by Haugen, that showed
Instagram made some mental health issues worse for teenagers who use the
product. The company, which was building a version of Instagram for children,
has put that project on hold.
“When it comes to young people’s health or well-being, every negative experience matters,” the CEO wrote. “We have worked for years on industry-leading efforts to help people in these moments and I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”
Facebook doesn’t benefit from content that makes people angry or depressed or make all product decisions to maximize user interactions, Zuckerberg said. When it changed its News Feed algorithm to show more posts from friends and family a few years back, the CEO added, the company did so knowing that people would spend less time on the service.
Zuckerberg ended the note by
encouraging Facebook’s workforce and expressing his gratitude for their work.
Source: By Kurt Wagner, 5 October
2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/