Therefore, if integrity takes a hands-off stance for these problems, whether for technical (precision) or philosophical reasons, then the net result is that Facebook, taken as a whole, will be actively (if not necessarily consciously) promoting these types of activities. The mechanics of our platform are not neutral.”291 In another internal document entitled ‘Facebook and Responsibility’, dated March 2020, the author offers a more detailed explanation of the extent of Meta’s responsibility for the content it shows to users on the platform: “Facebook will generally have some responsibility for exposing users to harmful content whenever users saw that content as a result of Facebook’s actions … from creating surfaces that deliver content to developing algorithms that make decisions about where content appears. If those surfaces or algorithms could have been designed differently, then Facebook has taken some action. The more active Facebook is in determining whether a user is exposed to harmful content, the most responsibility we have.”292 These admissions of the adverse human rights impacts associated with Meta’s content-shaping algorithms clearly run counter to the company’s refusal to remediate affected communities, as explored further in Chapter 9, below. Despite the litany of warnings that Meta received between 2012 and 2019 that it risked contributing to an outbreak of mass violence, and despite the fact that Meta did in fact contribute to mass violence against the Rohingya (as analysed further in Chapter 8, below), the Facebook Papers show that the company has continued to deploy the same dangerous content-shaping algorithms in the pursuit of maximum profit. As a result, in the absence of significant action to prevent and mitigate further harm, there is a real risk the company may contribute to an outbreak of mass violence again in other sensitive contexts. 7.3 ‘MOVING FAST AND BREAKING THINGS’: HOW META’S COMPANY CULTURE EXACERBATED HUMAN RIGHTS RISKS In September 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta and announced its plans to invest heavily in research to ensure its metaverse products “are developed responsibly.”293 At the time, Meta's Vice President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, stated that this new approach was “almost the opposite of that now long-abandoned slogan of ‘move fast and break things’.”294 The statement arguably represents a tacit acknowledgement that Meta’s prior approach was ‘the opposite’ of responsible conduct. In September 2021, after the publication of the Facebook Papers, Meta published an article entitled, “Our Progress Addressing Challenges and Innovating Responsibly”. The article admitted: “In the past, we didn’t address safety and security challenges early enough in the product development process. Instead, we made improvements reactively in response to a specific abuse.”295 Meta’s original “move fast and break things” motto reflected the company’s overall business ethos.296 The approach meant that Meta staff were encouraged to innovate in a way that would maximize rapid growth, 291 The Facebook Papers, “What is Collateral Damage?”, 12 August 2019, comment on p. 34. The Facebook Papers, “Facebook and Responsibility”, 09 March 2020, p.3, documentcloud.org/documents/21594152tier2_rank_other_0320 292 Andrew Bosworth and Nick Clegg, “Building the Metaverse Responsibly”, 27 September 2021, fb.com/news/2021/09/building-themetaverse-responsibly/, referenced in Axios, ”Facebook: Metaverse won’t move fast and break things”, 28 September, 2021, axios.com/2021/09/28/facebook-metaverse-research-nick-clegg 293 Axios, “Facebook: Metaverse won’t move fast and break things”, 28 September 2021, axios.com/2021/09/28/facebook-metaverseresearch-nick-clegg 294 Meta, “Our Progress Addressing Challenges and Innovating Responsibly”, 21 September 2021, fb.com/news/2021/09/our-progressaddressing-challenges-and-innovating-responsibly 295 Business Insider, ”Mark Zuckerberg On Innovation”, 1 October 2009, businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-innovation-200910?r=US&IR=T 296 THE SOCIAL ATROCITY META AND THE RIGHT TO REMEDY FOR THE ROHINGYA Amnesty International 55

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