Researcher claims Harvard nixed social media research after getting Zuck bucks

A former Harvard misformation scholar has filed a whistleblower complaint against the Ivy League university, alleging that its Kennedy School canceled her research into social media harms in order to protect a $500 million donation from The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Harvard insists that the charges are totally, absolutely, …

[Sampler]

But what did the they buy for half a billion?

Because you don't just wang $500m at a University already sitting on a ton of cash.

Sure nothing will come of it though, as consequences are for the poor.

When businesses are caught doing shifty shit like this, the entire C-suite should do time, that should motivate them to be a tad more motivated to not break the law.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

Silence is Golden. $500 million buys a lot of Gold.

[Bebu]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

"Silence is Golden. $500 million buys a lot of Gold."

As a 70s TV character said:

"Life is a shit sandwich. The more bread you have the less shit you have to eat."

Wish I could remember the character but probably wasn't original then.

"Don't talk to me about academic integrity. I mean don't talk to me..." not original either.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

The first sentence is of course from the song made famous by the Tremeloes and written by Bob Gaudio & Bob Crewe.

The song ends...

Silence is golden, but my eyes still see

Silence is golden, golden, but my eyes still see

But my eyes still see

But my eyes still see

Indeed so. Despite their shinanigans, Our eyes still see

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

With the pile of cash they have, they could have afforded to make her a faculty member

[HuBo]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

Totally agree! And by being allowed (or even encouraged) to continue her TASC research on Meta's potential issues with misinformation, she could have contributed to making it a better platform, and also contributed to the very credibility of Harvard's HKS in this matter.

[luminous]

Re: But what did the they buy for half a billion?

Who says it was cash. It could have been shares in Meta.

[Doctor Tarr]

$42bn Endowment

Harvard are a 'non-priofit' investment firm with a school attached. They get massive tax breaks to help the rich get richer.

[drankinatty]

Greed and Corruptions what a legacy...

Greed and Corruption has shattered our shared sense of values for the next generation. Antitrust needs to be re-fanged and I'm not sure what we do with the corrosive result of the "Citizens United" decision on the American side of the pond -- or the evidence that several of the High-9 have been caught with their hands in the cookie-jar.

The latter helps to explain the precedent-shattering rulings the court has handed down in the past decade or so. Cookies provided by those that benefit most from the decisions.

Hell-of-a Legacy to leave our children.

[Anonymous Coward]

CZI is not Facebook

I had the impression CZI is Patricia Chan's influence on Zuck, should be a completely different thing.

Doesn't stop the university management getting all worried about it though (maybe they don't have to but they don't know that?)