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Because they were costing the company money, because it was reducing profits? >> facebook changed those safety defaults in the run-up to the election because they knew they were dangerous and because they wanted that growth back, they wanted the acceleration of the platform back after the election, they returned to their original defaults. the fact that they had to break the glass on january 6th and turn them back on, i think that's deeply problematic. >> reporter: another big focus of the hearing, how facebook and its other social media apps, including instagram, negatively impact kids. >> ki...

Every quarter they make $51 off of every american that's a user. and i just think enough is enough. privacy laws, they've stopped them as well as these other platforms. we haven't updated our competition policy. innovation could help us here. but they are the big bullies on the block, and i think this whistleblower, frances haugen, is finally going to be the tipping point. >> you questioned frances haugen over the spread of misinformation surrounding the 2020 election. i want to play it. >> on "60 minutes" you said that facebook implemented safeguards to reduce misinformation ahead of the 2020...

Safety defaults in the run-up to the election because they knew they were dangerous and because they wanted the growth back, they wanted the acceleration of the platform back after the election, they returned to their original defaults. and the fact that they had to break the glass on january 6th and turn them back on, i think that's deeply problematic. >> so, for so many years of getting the run around from these tech companies, what should the federal government be doing here to make them do the right thing? joining us now is senator amy klobuchar of minnesota. senator, it's good to see you ...

>> now, those safety measures were aimed at limiting the spread of falsehoods, misinformation, and incitement. and as you heard ms. haugen say on the program last night, they did not work very well. and any case, the safeguards were lifted immediately after the election and restrictions on the so-called stop the steal movement weren't imposed until after the capitol attack. now today, ms. haugen had this to say about why in her judgment the company did not maintain those safeguards longer. >> the choices that were happening on the platform were really about how reactive and twitchy was the pla...

About how reactive and twitchy was the platform. like how viral was the platform. and facebook changed those safety defaults in the run up to the election because they knew they were dangerous. and because they wanted that growth back, they wanted the acceleration of the platform back after the election. they return to the original defaults. and the fact that they had to break the glass on january 6th, and turn them back on, i think that's deeply problematic. >> so after so many years of getting the run around from the tech companies, what should the federal government be doing here to make th...