Vox Sentences - What's in the Facebook Papers?

The Facebook Papers are a big headache for the social media giant; Sudan’s military seizes power.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Facebook Papers released

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

• On Monday, 17 news organizations began publishing reports based on “the Facebook Papers”— redacted versions of thousands of internal documents shared by whistleblower and former employee Frances Haugen. [AP]

• The documents formed the basis of Haugen’s testimony to the Senate Securities and Exchange Commission on October 5. [NPR / Bobby Allyn]

• The documents have raised ethical concerns about the ways Facebook has ignored research showing that its algorithms contribute to political violence and encourage harmful behavior in teens, while also raising questions about CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s judgment. [AP / Barbara Ortutay]

• Facebook has for years publicly downplayed its power, but the internal documents reveal it sees itself differently in private. The documents note 78 percent of American adults and virtually all teens use its platforms — a fact likely to intensify its critics' calls for it to be broken up. [Politico / Leah Nylen]

• Zuckerberg is also likely to face questions from the SEC on discrepancies between his public statements and the documents. For example, Zuckerberg said in March it was “not clear” that social networks polarize the public when company researchers had already proven that to be the case. [Washington Post / Elizabeth Dwoskin, Tory Newmyer, and Shibani Mahtani]

Sudan military seizes power in coup

• The Sudanese military arrested the country’s prime minister and dissolved the civilian government on Monday — a significant threat to the future of democratic rule in one of Africa’s largest countries. [AP/ Sam Magdy]

• Political infighting and tensions had been growing in the country for months; Monday’s actions end the transitional government put in place after dictator Omar al-Bashir’s 30 years in power ended in 2019. [CNN]

• In response to the takeover, hundreds of pro-democracy protesters took to the streets in the capital Khartoum; at least three protesters were killed and dozens more were injured in clashes with the army. The internet remains shut off and Khartoum's international airport is now closed. [BBC / Anne Soy]

• Coup leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced the dissolution of the transitional government and declared a state of emergency but claims the military will support democratic elections in 2023. [Washington Post / Max Bearak]

• Sudan is highly dependent on international aid that many countries have said is conditioned on the presence of a transitional government. “Any changes to the transitional government by force puts at risk US assistance,” Jeffrey Feltman, US envoy for the Horn of Africa, said on Monday. [NYT / Austin Ramzy]

Two organizers allege that members of Congress were involved in planning the January 6 insurrection. [Rolling Stone / Hunter Walker]

• A former Saudi intelligence officer claims the crown prince suggested killing King Abdullah to clear the throne for his father. [BBC]

• After a 23-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are struggling to come up with answers. [ESPN / Bill Barnwell]

• High winds and flash flooding are threatening 70 million Americans this week in an area spanning from the Appalachian mountains through New York City. [CNN / Monica Garrett, Haley Brink, and Holly Yan]

“I’m struggling to match my values to my employment here. I came here hoping to effect change and improve society, but all I’ve seen is atrophy and abdication of responsibility.” 

[A Facebook employee expresses concerns about the company’s role in the January 6 Capitol insurrection]

Sean Illing talks with Joe Bernstein of BuzzFeed News about online disinformation and what — if anything — can be done about it. [Spotify]

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