Written by Dave Ritchie
In a revelation that has sent ripples through Silicon Valley, current and former employees at Meta Platforms Inc. have accused the company of suppressing internal research that could expose significant child safety risks in its virtual reality environments. According to disclosures made to Congress, Meta’s legal team allegedly intervened to alter or block studies highlighting dangers faced by young users in VR spaces like Horizon Worlds. These allegations come at a time when tech giants are under intense scrutiny for their handling of online safety, particularly for minors.
The whistleblowers, represented by the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, claim that Meta’s lawyers shaped research outcomes to minimize potential legal and regulatory fallout. One key example involves a study on user experiences in VR, where findings about harassment and inappropriate interactions with children were reportedly diluted or shelved. This pattern, the employees assert, prioritizes corporate interests over user protection, echoing past controversies at the company formerly known as Facebook.
Whistleblower Accounts Reveal Internal Tensions
Four staffers detailed how proposed research into VR’s impact on children as young as 10 was repeatedly stymied. They described instances where data on virtual grooming, sexual harassment, and violent encounters was collected but then edited under legal guidance to avoid “bad press, lawsuits, or action by regulators,” as reported in a...
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