Follow PoliticoThe reason why former employee Frances Haugen can continue the battle with Facebook is because she is backed by eBay founder, billionaire Pierre Omidyar.
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The “whistleblowers” need to be supported and protected |
With a fortune of $25.3 billion, French-American billionaire Pierre Omidyar ranks 26th on the magazine’s list of 400 richest people. Forbes. Not only founding the digital marketplace eBay, he is also known as an anti-Big Tech. He has participated in countless activities such as supporting press freedom in Hawaii, launching antitrust campaigns and helping employees’ activism.
Omidyar has donated $150,000 to Whistleblower Aid (an organization dedicated to supporting and protecting “whistleblowers” – the term refers to people who denounce illegal activities of businesses), this is also the organization that is representing legal representation for Haugen.
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Billionaire Pierre Omidyar |
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Omidyar’s Luminate charity is launching a PR campaign for Haugen in Europe. Bill Burton – Haugen’s top PR representative in the US is from the Center for Humane Technology – a group sponsored by Omidyar.
Compared to previous “whistleblowers” in the technology industry, Frances Haugen attracts attention thanks to her extensive connections with the press. Wall Street Journal Posted a series of articles Facebook Files based on the material she gathered, she later appeared on the show 60 Minutes of CBS.
Also intending to denounce Facebook, former employee Sophie Zhang received less attention from the public despite speaking out since April 2021. However, after Frances Haugen delivered the first blow to Facebook, Zhang announced he was also open to testifying before Congress if required.
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