A new group of whistleblowers are coming forward to allege that Meta is restricting research into how its virtual reality offerings could negatively impact kids and teens, The Washington Post reports.
Four current and former Meta staffers allege that after an earlier whistleblower, Frances Haugen, leaked internal research to Congress, the company called on its lawyers to screen and sometimes veto research on VR and youth safety, The Post reports. The new whistleblowers are being represented by legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, which also worked with Haugen.
In a statement, Meta spokesperson Dani Lever said the allegation its legal team sidelined research is based on a few examples “stitched together to fit a predetermined and false narrative; in reality since the start of 2022, Meta has approved nearly 180 Reality Labs-related studies on social issues, including youth safety and well-being.” Lever said Meta research has led to “significant product updates” including parent supervision tools, and that its VR devices are made for people over 13.
The allegations are expected to take center stage at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday called “Hidden Harms: Examining Whistleblower Allegations that Meta Buried Child Safety Research.” Three Republicans on that committee have already asked Meta for more information on its protections for kids and teens on its Horizon Worlds virtual platform.
Also on Monday, the former head of security at Meta-owned WhatsApp filed a lawsuit accusing the company of ignoring privacy and security issues that allegedly endangered users’ information, The New York Times reported. WhatsApp spokesperson Carl Woog called the lawsuit “a familiar playbook in which a former employee is dismissed for poor performance and then goes public with distorted claims that misrepresent the ongoing hard work of our team.”
Update, September 8th: Added information about the WhatsApp lawsuit.
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