Frances Haugen is an accomplished American product manager, data engineer, and scientist, renowned for her courageous whistleblowing against Facebook in 2021. After earning her degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in 2006, she began her career at Google, where she contributed to various projects including Google Ads and Google Book Search. During her tenure, she co-authored a patent for a method of adjusting search result rankings, showcasing her innovative approach to technology and data management.

In 2015, Haugen transitioned to Yelp as a data product manager, where she focused on enhancing search capabilities through image recognition. Her expertise further expanded at Pinterest, before she joined Facebook in 2019 as a product manager on the civic integrity team. Motivated by a desire to combat misinformation, she aimed to create a safer online environment. However, after the dissolution of the civic integrity team post-2020 elections, Haugen became disillusioned with the company’s prioritization of profit over public safety.

In 2021, Haugen made headlines by disclosing tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal, revealing critical insights into the company’s operations. Her testimony before the United States Senate and various international bodies highlighted the urgent need for regulatory reforms in social media, emphasizing the detrimental effects of misinformation and hate speech.

Following her impactful disclosures, Haugen published her memoir, “The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook,” in 2023. Her ongoing advocacy for responsible social media practices and her plans to establish a non-profit organization reflect her commitment to addressing the harms of social media, making her a pivotal figure in the conversation about technology and ethics.