'This agreement could simply codify much of the 'safety theater' that Meta has been doing in recent years,' says whistleblower Arturo Bejar, a former Meta safety engineer
A whistleblower whose testimony helped build a child safety case against Meta Platforms META.O said on Wednesday that the firm’s settlement with a coalition of US states does not meaningfully address harms from social media that he described in court.
Former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar told a judge and eight jurors last week that the firm had knowingly underreported the frequency with which teens were harmed on its platforms, pushed them toward content that made them feel bad about themselves and failed to correctly adjudicate reports of child predation.
On Wednesday, the states announced they and Meta had settled the case, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta declaring that the settlement “will make social media less dangerous for our kids.” However, Bejar said the proposed settlement does not meaningfully address the problems he was asked to testify about.
“This agreement could simply codify much of the ‘safety theater’ that Meta has been doing in recent years,” he said. “Instagram will be used a little less, but it will not be any safer.”
In announcing the settlement, Meta said it is “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”
“We’re grateful for Mr. Bejar’s advocacy and for his testimony in our case,” Bonta said in a statement. “We agree that there is more...
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