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| Pierre Omidyar |
Luminate is providing press and government relations support for Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen as she tours Europe to spread her message of the need to curb Facebook.
Pierre Omidyar, billionaire founder of eBay and champion of reforming high-tech, launched Luminate in 2018 to empower people and institutions to build just and fair societies.
In an Oct. 19 blog, Luminate said Haugen’s “courage in coming forward to challenge the self-interested decisions of a trillion-dollar corporation is extraordinary.”
It said the revelations revealed in her document dump showed that Facebook is not willing to reform and underscores “the urgent need for regulatory oversight of Big Tech that will protect citizens’ rights and the fabric of democracy.”
Haugen, former Facebook product manager, told a UK parliamentary panel on Oct. 25 that the social platform is aware of its harmful activities but it is unwilling to act because it would jeopardize profits. She stressed the need to tighten the regulation of Facebook.
Haugen will meet with French, German and European Union officials in the coming weeks.
On the US front, Bryson Gillette has handled PR for Haugen, who appeared on “60 Minutes” and testified before Congress.
Bill Burton, founder & president of the fim, was Barack Obama’s first national press secretary during his first run for the presidency.
Burton served in the Obama administration as deputy White House press secretary.
Omidyar is a financial backer of Burton’s Center for Human Technology non-profit.
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Oct. 29, 2021, by Joe Honick
Addendum to first comment: the more this lady's "tour" continues, the more I'm left to wonder why almost no media have raised even a few questions about any of it. In the screwiest fashion, Facebook, or whatever new name it adopts, are getting the same kind of "positives" the "few nice people" who invaded Charlottesville in 2017 did: constant press mention and lots of amusement in the minds of those who make use of the platform for lots of reasons we may not like but cannot stop.
If Congress cannot even get its minds and staffs wrapped around January 6, the daily artillery blasts from almost 200 Members who could not vote for the Electoral College, how or why can they do anything except give Zuckerberg and company the daily PR blitz they love?
Stay tuned and watch.