Even though the outage lasted only five hours, the impact of Facebook and its wide-reaching properties going down on Monday was felt across the world. Not only because it reminded us how much we rely on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for communication, but also because it occurred less than 24 hours after a 60 Minutes interview with Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, which was followed by her testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday. While there doesn’t appear to be any connection between the two events, the void left by the outage gave us more time to collectively digest this explosive story.
As a Certified B Corporation and purpose-driven organization, we are deeply concerned by these allegations. Marketing on Facebook and its properties is an important part of our business, and many of our clients rely on their advertising platforms to create connections with audiences. This news has us thoughtfully considering the implications of these alleged behaviors and how they compare to our values as an organization.
We believe that business should be conducted in ways that balance people and profits, recognize that people and place matter, and that we are all accountable to one another. We also recognize the value that Facebook, and its properties offer to our clients and the world. We want to be part of the solution, and we will work with Facebook, our clients, and our other partners to effect positive change.
You can read Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg’s response to both the outage and the accusations here. We will continue to monitor this unfolding situation closely to ensure our actions and client recommendations stay consistent with our values as a company.
