nick klegg, facebook's vice president for global affairs says that the algorithms quote should be held to account if necessary by regulation so that people can match what our systems say they're supposed to do from what that actually happens. joining us now discusses boom bus, co host benz want ben i before i get to what we really got to talk about here, it appears as klegg is basically saying the algorithms are a sent you and being that just does whatever it want to do. the algorithm should be held accountable. not anybody who work for facebook. god forbid. all right, i'm sorry. go ahead. no, no, no, no. can i just come with us? you're absolutely right about the statement you just read. he says the algorithms must be held to account. that's an insane statement. no algorithm is, is running the show with facebook. our gms program by people, people put in that programming based upon what the higher up that facebook and told them. so just let's just start there. the concept that algorithms must be held to account passes all blame for everything we've talked about for the last couple of we

. >> facebook executives like nick klegg will say it is unfair to blame facebook for the insurrectionare blaming facebook for the entire thing. that's not what is happening here. you can't at the same time be facebook and trying to take responsibility and being very proud of all the organizing work that you've helped black lives matter do or the occupy movement or standing rock. you can't take credit for all of that and then say, oh, that thing called the insurrection? we had nothing to do with that. >> reporter: another revelation from the documents, an internal memo including details of a facebook staffer setting up a test account to see what facebook's algorithms were recommending to users. 2019, a facebook employee sets up an account designed to look like a 41-year-old conservative mom living in north carolina. her name is carol smith. she likes a few page, she likes trump, she likes fox news, but in a week she is getting a qanon recommendation. i saw in there that after three weeks there was actually a recommendation for a page that was the three percenters, the militia, self-des

. >> facebook executives like nick klegg will say it's unfair to blame facebook for the insurrection.red herring to say people are blaming facebook for the entire thing. that's not what's happening here. you can't at the same time be facebook and trying to take responsibility and being very proud of all the organizing work that you've helped black lives matter do or the occupy movements or standing rock, you can't take credit for all of that and then say, oh, that thing called the insurrection, we had nothing to do with that. >> reporter: another revelation from the documents, an internal memo including details of a facebook staffer setting up a test account to see what facebook's algorithms were recommending to users. 2019, a facebook employee sets up an account designed to look like a 41-year-old conservative mom living in north carolina, her name is carol smith. she likes a few pages, she likes trump. she likes fox news. in a week, she's getting a qanon recommendation. i saw in there that after three weeks there was actually a recommendation for a page that was the 3%-ers, the mili

i want to play what nick klegg told you. >> i think it would be too easy surely to suggest that with a tweak to an algorithm somehow all the disfiguring polarization in u.s. politics would evaporate. i think it absolves people of asking themselves the harder questions about the historical, cultural, social and economic reasons that have led to the politics that we have in the u.s. today. >> but brian, is he really getting to the point here? because no one's suggesting facebook is the only problem. but the fact that they still try to pretend they don't amplify the problem -- what did you take from your conversation with him? >> to borrow from billy joel they're saying we didn't start the fire. they're selling wood for the fire, selling s'mores that you can roast on the fire. facebook is providing accelerants and claiming it's a good time. they're claiming people have a fun time on the platform and that's why we log in every day. to some extent, there is some truth. there are people that get a lot of benefits out of facebook and instagram and whatsapp and the rest. the research shows t

of course, facebook will say, as nick klegg told us yesterday, downplaying the role that social media, misinformation had in fueling what we saw here at the capitol in january. >> we do know a lot of information was shared on social media. that's in the record. thanks very much. >>> still to come this hour, dr. anthony fauci says that we may be rounding the corner on the current coronavirus surge. that's good news. but he does say that more vaccinations are needed to prevent another surge around the holidays as more people are traveling. next we speak with the connecticut governor overseeing more mandates going into place today. >>> plus, right now the supreme court back in session. how this session could have historic impacts on a whole host of issues -- abortion, the second amendment, affirmative action, and beyond. >>> also new this morning, jeff bezos announcing his blue origin space company is sending william shatner to space. you know you want to stick around for those details. we have them just ahead. ♪ ♪ your new pharmacy is here. and here. and here, too. it's here to help you