Sen. Richard Blumenthal Wants Facebook to End Non-Existent 'Finsta' Program
Facebook's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, appeared before Congress today to be grilled about youth safety. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal revealed that his office had created a fake profile of a 13-year old girl, followed some extreme dieting sites, the account was targeted by other sites promoting destructive behavior. At one point Blumenthal put Davis on the spot, asking if Facebook would commit to ending "Finsta," which is just slang for a secondary account that people create. Davis and Blumenthal were not able to get on the same page.
Sen. Blumenthal asks Facebook "Will you commit to ending Finsta?"
— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) September 30, 2021
Facebook's safety chief has to explain that Finsta is slang for a fake account. pic.twitter.com/jMYy5AIZjY
"'Finsta' is one of your products or services. We're not talking here about Google or Apple. It's Facebook, correct?"
Davis tried to explain it was slang, rather than a Facebook feature of some sort, but Blumenthal pressed her to commit to ending "that type of account." When she again failed to make him understand he said, "Well, I don't think that's an answer to my question."
It's a funny exchange, but Blumenthal was trying to make an important point.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) cynically explains “Finstas,” or “Finstagrams,” secret second Instagram accounts held by users:
— The Recount (@therecount) September 30, 2021
“It’s another case of prioritizing growth over children’s safety.” pic.twitter.com/fLIkKmqyp6