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Monika Bickert, the long-time architect of Meta’s content policies and one of the company’s most prominent public defenders, is leaving the social media giant. After more than a decade at the helm ofFacebookandInstagram’s rules, Bickert is transitioning to a new career in academia at Harvard Law School, according to news agency Reuters.The report said that Bickert announced her departure in an internal post on Friday (March 27), noting that she has long harbored an interest in teaching. She will remain at Meta until August to assist with a transition plan alongside Kevin Martin, who oversees the company’s global policy team.
Monika Bickert ‘fought’ Meta’s toughest battles
Since joining the company in 2012, Bickert has been a central figure in Meta’s most high-profile controversies. A former federal prosecutor, she was responsible for both writing and enforcing the rules that dictate what billions of users can and cannot post online.
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Bickert was known for her staunch defense of Meta’s internal values. Following the 2021 “Facebook Files” leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen, Bickert pushed back against claims that the company prioritised profits over user safety.“Yes, we’re a business and we make profit, but the idea that we do so at the expense of people’s safety or well-being misunderstands where our own commercial interests lie,” she wrote at the time.In a statement following the news, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, praised Bickert’s contributions, highlighting her role in building the company’s safety infrastructure.The news comes days after a court in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading users over the safety of its platforms for children, after a jury found that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, was liable as its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.A spokeswoman for Meta, led by chairman and chief executiveMark Zuckerberg, said the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal.“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” She said.
