Anti-Facebook Group Offers ‘Safe Space’ for Facebook Whistleblowers

An anti-Facebook group is offering the social network’s employees a “safe space” to blow the whistle on undisclosed company issues.

“Freedom From Facebook,” an activist group that notably protested execs from the tech giant while they testified to Congress last summer, announced a Facebook ad campaign on Tuesday, exclusively targeting company employees “who feel uncomfortable with recent events.”

Facebook has taken a Wall Street hit since the New York Times reported last week the company and its leadership — including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg — were slow to respond to issues like Russian meddling in U.S. elections.

Also Read: Washington Post Media Critic Calls on Mark Zuckerberg to Step Down

Facebook also used Definers, an opposition research firm, to attack critics like Freedom From Facebook — with the firm pushing reporters to investigate a connection between the group and financier George Soros, according to The New York Times. A direct link hasn’t been established between Soros and the group. Zuckerberg said last Thursday he “didn’t know” Facebook was working with Definers until reading the Times report.

Also Read: Sheryl Sandberg Says Facebook 'Absolutely Did Not' Pay Anyone to Create Fake News

Freedom From Facebook said its ad “will link to a website where [employees] can securely and anonymously submit whistleblower tips and information via the form on the website or encrypted email.” The group did not reveal how it’s picking Facebook employees to target with its ad campaign or how much it’s spending.

“From within the eye of the Facebook storm, what’s clear as day is that Zuckerberg and Sandberg are incapable of fixing the perpetual onslaught of crises, because they consider them a PR problem — not a problem with their leadership and core business model,” the group said in its announcement.

Facebook did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the group’s ad campaign.

Facebook shares sunk to their lowest price of 2018 on Monday, closing at $131.55 per share. Shares are up about 0.5 percent during early morning trading on Tuesday.