Frances Haugen to testify to MPs about Facebook and online harm

Whistleblower and critic of Mark Zuckerberg will give evidence to MPs scrutinising online safety bill

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower, testifies before US lawmakers. Picture: Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

The Facebook whistleblower is to give evidence to MPs and peers scrutinising the online safety bill, amid calls for a toughening up of the landmark legislation.

Frances Haugen has triggered a deep crisis at Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire after she released tens of thousands of internal documents detailing the company’s failure to keep its users safe from harmful content. On Monday Haugen, 37, will testify in person at the joint committee scrutinising the draft online safety bill, a piece of legislation that places a duty of care on social media companies to protect users – with the threat of substantial fines if they fail to do so.