Technologies

Facebook whistleblower to testify before Congress: How to watch

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen has accused the company of choosing its own interests over what’s good for the public.

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen, the whistleblower behind a major leak of internal company documents, is set to testify before US lawmakers for the first time on Tuesday.

Haugen publicly revealed herself to be the Facebook whistleblower during an interview that the CBS television program 60 Minutes aired on Sunday. The 37-year-old gathered thousands of pages of documents and communications, some of which The Wall Street Journal used to publish a series of stories about how Facebook is aware of the harm the company’s platform can inflict, including on the mental health of teenagers.

«There were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook. And Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money,» Haugen said during the 60 Minutes interview. She worked on Facebook’s efforts to combat election interference and misinformation for nearly two years before leaving the social network in May.

Now lawmakers are trying to learn more from Haugen about what type of regulation could help keep social networks such as Facebook more accountable. The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security is holding a hearing, titled «Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower.» Tuesday’s hearing comes less than a week after Facebook’s head of safety, Antigone Davis, appeared before Congress. Facebook says The Wall Street Journal mischaracterized its research, noting that its platform also has benefits such as helping people keep in touch with family and friends. The company, which suffered a massive outage on Monday, has been plagued by numerous scandals including about data privacy.

Here’s what you need to know:

When

The hearing begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT.

Where

You can watch the hearing live on the subcommittee’s website or on CNET’s YouTube channel.

What to expect

US lawmakers will likely press the whistleblower for more details about what she learned while working for Facebook and other tech companies. Before joining Facebook, Haugen worked for Google, Yelp and Pinterest.

«Facebook’s actions make clear that we cannot trust it to police itself. We must consider stronger oversight, effective protections for children, & tools for parents, among the needed reforms,» tweeted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the Senate subcommittee hosting the hearing.

Lawmakers are trying to gather more information, including from companies outside of Facebook, as they weigh what type of regulation to pass.

Last week, Blumenthal, along with Democrats Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, reintroduced the Kids Internet Design and Safety Act. The bill would ban features such as «likes» and follower counts for users under the age of 16 years old. The legislation also addresses other issues such as manipulative marketing and the amplification of harmful content.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, July 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Kudos to today’s Mini Crossword for being both complex and clever. There are layers upon layers in the clues. It took me a few minutes to sort it all out. Need a helping hand with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Appropriate word that can precede 7-/8-Across and 3-/10-Down
Answer: HALF

5A clue: Remy’s brother in «Ratatouille»
Answer: EMILE

7A clue: Missouri’s postal abbreviation
Answer: MO

8A clue: Light switch position
Answer: ON

9A clue: Done for laughs
Answer: INFUN

11A clue: Richard of «Pretty Woman»
Answer: GERE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Prefix that means 1-Across
Answer: HEMI

2D clue: In the midst of
Answer: AMONG

3D clue: Super Bowl that featured a 28-3 comeback win by the Patriots
Answer: LI

4D clue: Baker’s powder
Answer: FLOUR

6D clue: Dated feminine suffix
Answer: ENNE

10D clue: Iron, on the periodic table
Answer: FE

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 18, #298

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 18, No. 298.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

The purple group for today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be a tough one. If you like baseball, have been paying attention to big games and know some famous sports names, then you’ll do just fine with the rest of the puzzle. Read on for more hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Check the score.

Green group hint: Defeated.

Blue group hint: A memorable name.

Purple group hint: Not DC, but the other one.