US congressman calls for investigation into allegations against Facebook
Facebook suffered another blow in the US Congress on Tuesday, and a senator called on federal officials to investigate accusations from a filing that said the company was pushing for more profits while not caring about users' safety.
In an opening speech at a meeting of the Senate Commerce subcommittee, the panel's chair, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said Facebook knows its products are as addictive as cigarettes.
"The tech company is now facing ... an amazing moment of truth," he said.
He demanded that CEO Mark Zuckerberg appear before the committee.
He also called on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the social media company.
"Our children are the victims," Blumenthal said.
Teens who look at themselves in the mirror today feel suspicious and insecure.
Mark Zuckerberg should look at himself in the mirror.”
He added that Zuckerberg is on a cruise instead.
In an age when bipartisanship is rare, Democrats and Republicans agree that major changes are needed at Facebook.
The committee's top Republican, Marsha Blackburn, said Facebook was keeping its eyes off children under the age of 13 on its sites.
"Facebook is clearly prioritizing earnings over the well-being of children and all users," she said.
Facebook spokesman Kevin McAllister said in an email before the committee meeting that the company believes that protecting its community (users) is more important than maximizing profits.
He added that it is not accurate that leaked internal research has proven that Instagram is "toxic" to teenage girls.
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