Facebook crisis grows as new whistleblower and leaked documents emerge

Company under fire as news reports detail spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories even as staff raised concerns

An anonymous whistleblower told the Washington Post they had submitted a complaint to the SEC. Picture: Jeff Chiu/AP

Facebook faced mounting pressure on Friday after a new whistleblower accused it of knowingly hosting hate speech and illegal activity, even as leaked documents shed further light on how the company failed to heed internal concerns over election misinformation.

Allegations by the new whistleblower, who spoke to the Washington Post, were reportedly contained in a complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US agency that handles regulation to protect investors in publicly traded companies.