Was Meta über junge Menschen nicht wissen will (mit Dr. Anneke Buffone) (Spezial)
Summary
In this special episode of "Haken dran," host Dennis Horn interviews Dr. Anneke Buffon, a former UX researcher at Meta who left the company due to conflicts over youth safety protocols. Buffon explains how internal silos and profit-driven goals prioritized user retention over child protection, leading to restricted research and diluted safety recommendations. She discusses the technical feasibility of privacy-first age verification and the ethical issues of algorithmic manipulation. Now, Buffon runs a non-profit organization to improve social media safety for minors and serves as a witness …
Topics discussed
Intro: Special episode with former Meta researcher Anneke
Anneke's background and 7 years at Meta
Leaving the tech industry and starting Clara
Clara: A safety tool for children online
Digital autonomy and parental controls
Discussion on age verification and social media bans
Meta's age assurance research and current status
Privacy concerns and the need for ID documents
How algorithms infer age from user behavior
Accuracy of age estimation and facial recognition
Future EU regulations and token-based verification
Internal conflicts between growth and safety teams
The 'airbag' metaphor for safety vs. growth
Research restrictions and ethical dilemmas at Meta
Shift in corporate culture and research output
Understanding why parents allow under-13s on apps
Impact of leaks and increased pressure on researchers
Role of researchers as product designers
Legal pressure vs. user safety priorities
Critique of Meta's safety implementation efforts
Why Meta prioritizes engagement over safety
Algorithmic manipulation and feed content quality
Interpreting user signals and endless scrolling
The Meta Oversight Board and independence
Funding conflicts of interest in research
Why Anneke was let go without an NDA
Personal social media usage and ethical AI use
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