Facebook Inc on Monday announced more than US$9 billion in quarterly profits, hours after a US news collective published reports arguing that the company prioritizes its growth over people’s safety. The social media giant has been battling a fresh crisis since former employee Frances Haugen leaked reams of internal studies showing that executives knew of the sites’ potential for harm, prompting a renewed US push for regulation. Facebook released results showing its profit in the third quarter grew to US$9.2 billion — a 17 percent increase — and its ranks of users increased to 2.91 billion. Facebook executives said on an earnings call