The 'Facebook papers' revealed the company prioritized profit over public safety

Mark Zuckerberg apologized for not doing enough to stop the spread of misinformation on Facebook ahead of the 2016 election

Leading up to the 2016 election, misinformation about both Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and even Barack Obama flourished on Facebook. In the final stretch leading up to the election, more than one-quarter of Americans visited a fake news site supporting either Trump or Clinton. Many fake news studies have widely different methods of measuring and assessing the impact of fake news, so the actual impact it had in the 2016 election is unclear.

Around 87 million users were impacted by Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal

Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm with Russian and conservative ties, harvested data from Facebook users through a research tool that tracked interests across social connections on Facebook. Those profiles were used for targeted ad campaigns supporting Donald Trump in 2016 and pro-Brexit ads. A whistleblower originally said the private data of more than 50 million Facebook users was compromised, but a Facebook officer later estimated the number was around 87 million. Facebook settled the class-action lawsuit over the privacy breach for $725M in 2022.

Extremist groups have used Facebook to propagate misinformation and recruit members

For years, Facebook has been accused of taking a too-light approach to content moderation. While it's made strides in recent years, problematic content continues to thrive on the company's platforms.

Balancing free speech while curbing misinformation has destroyed content moderation

Accusations of censorship and bias have led social media companies like Meta and X to scale back or abandon moderation tools—just as foreign propaganda surges. Researchers say their ability to track manipulation online has become severely limited.

Facebook was sued for $150 billion over the violence against Rohingya refugees

Facebook has been criticized for years for a prevalence of disinformation and hate speech, a problem that's not just confined to digital content. The plaintiffs argue Facebook's algorithm amplified dangerous propaganda in Myanmar, contributing to violence.

Facebook was almost sold to Yahoo! for $1B, but its CEO refused

The board tried to fire Mark Zuckerberg for his resistance, which he blames for failing to communicate the long-term vision of the company. He claims the company has succeeded by launching products quickly to learn faster than its competitors.

X's quirky culture clashed hard with Elon Musk's extreme leadership style

Investigative journalists have written that social platform X's open, sometimes chaotic workplace stopped when control shifted irreversibly from Jack Dorsey to Elon Musk. They claim the stark contrast in personalities left little protection for existing employees, culture, or users.

Data privacy advocates worry that Google collects too much personal information

Politicians have also criticized whether the search engine exerts too much control over gatekeeping online information and influencing what is considered fact or fiction, deviating from its original corporate motto of "don't be evil."

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden once leaked documents suggesting Palantir had a role in alleged surveillance

After releasing documents detailing an NSA surveillance scheme named PRISM (which is also the name of a Palantir service), further documents show that Palantir's software enabled the expansion of the NSA's widest-reaching data programs, XKEYSCORE. Palantir has frequently denied claims of supporting government surveillance and has insisted that its software is designed to maintain "civil liberties," such as privacy.

Critics call WeChat a surveillance tool

This report from the Citizen Lab details evidence WeChat, with 1.4 billion users, is a powerful surveillance tool for the Chinese Communist Party. In particular, it finds the government uses non-China accounts to train censorship algorithms for use on domestic communications.

Meta disclosed Mark Zuckerberg's interest in martial arts as an investment risk

During the pandemic, Zuckerberg began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu and even won gold and silver medals at his first tournament in 2023. His interest in martial arts and water sports, like wakesurfing and hydrofoiling, prompted the company to disclose those hobbies as risks for potential investors, given they pose a threat to Zuckerberg's health and he retains a significant amount of control over Meta.

Tim Cook refused to give the FBI a backdoor into iPhones during a terrorism case

The Apple CEO's refusal to comply with the government's request was viewed as controversial, despite support from privacy advocates. The FBI would later back down, claiming to have gained access to the device without disclosing additional details.

Ridiculous documents released via the Freedom of Information Act

In addition to being a massive asset to journalists and eager members of the public, FOIA has also shed light on some of the weirder corners of America’s functioning democracy. Here are 10 choice documents.

Explore features to customize your Facebook viewing experience

From prioritizing best friends and filtering what appears in the News Feed to viewing the digital history between you and anyone you're friends with, check out this list of shortcuts, features, tips, and tricks.

Support groups may not be private and can suddenly change focus

Sexual assault survivors that had gathered on a Facebook support group were shocked when administrators suddenly changed the group into one for sharing erotica. Its members were trolled, and ultimately, it was unclear whether its creators had planned for this shocking shift or if the group had been hacked. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Dating app Bumble laid off roughly 30% of its staff in June 2025

Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd was criticized at the time for telling staff to "calm down" during a company-wide call informing staff of the layoffs. "I see a lot of freaking-out emojis, y'all need to calm down … everyone's going to have to be adults in dealing with this," she said on the call. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

'The Fund' exposed culture problems and scandals at Bridgewater Associates

In 2023, Rob Copeland—who covered Bridgewater Associates for The Wall Street Journal for 10 years before moving to The New York Times—wrote a book that drew from interviews, company documents, and meeting recordings. "The Fund" highlighted sexual harassment scandals, a company contract to hire strippers, and a toxic company culture. Dalio has criticized the author for being sensational and a gossip.

Meta's former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is a highly influential female business leader

Sandberg joined Facebook as the chief operating officer in 2008, after previously serving as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers' chief of staff under the Clinton Administration and the vice president of global sales and operations at Google. She built a personal brand for herself as a feminist business leader through becoming Facebook's first female board leader in 2012 and her 2013 book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead."

Run your own social media Trust & Safety team with this eye-opening game

Ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes at a popular social media company trying to keep users, businesses, and workers safe? Now you can try out your own ideas for moderation and management with this fun and informative game designed to...

Investigation finds 'influencer' dietitians paid to promote sugar, supplements on social media

A joint investigation by The Examiner and The Washington Post found that food, beverage, and supplement corporations and groups have paid registered dietitians on social media to promote content that goes against decades of scientific evidence on...

The coronavirus pandemic sparked theories about the dangers of 5G

COVID-19 spreading around the same time as the rollout of 5G sparked conspiracy theories and outrage that the new wireless technology was harming people and the environment. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

President Trump has changed decades-long norms for the DOJ during his second term

The Trump administration made changes to ethics oversight, instructed US attorneys to coordinate with the White House, dismissed cases, and overhauled the career hiring process in the Civil Rights division. The administration asserts these changes were justified and aimed to end what they claim as the weaponization of government.

In 2020, rumors spread that Wayfair ran a child sex trafficking operation

Users took note of many Wayfair furniture items with girls' names being sold for high prices. A well-known QAnon activist helped spread the conspiracy more widely during a time of heightened distrust in institutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The theory was proven to be untrue.

The scandal that rocked stem cell research

In 2014, a Japanese research group published a paper suggesting ordinary cells could be reverted to pluripotent stem cells by subjecting them to external stressors. The results generated interest but could never be replicated. The lead researcher was accused of fraud, and the group’s supervisor committed suicide.

The Supreme Court's first major free-speech ruling rested on a legal standard that was later overturned

In Schenck v. United States (1919), the court introduced the "clear and present danger" test—permitting the government to restrict speech that posed an immediate threat to public safety. Although the doctrine was later replaced, the ruling upheld the conviction of a man who had distributed anti-draft pamphlets.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

The idea for the Federal Reserve was conceived in secret in 1910—with bankers donning duck hunt gear for disguise while traveling to a remote country club on Georgia's Jekyll Island

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace