A former Meta safety engineer testified at a landmark trial that the company was aware its platforms harmed children and pursued a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach to safety concerns he repeatedly raised.
Key facts
- Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, testified against the company on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Béjar told the jury Meta was aware its products caused harm to children.
- He said Meta took a 'don't ask, don't tell' strategy on child safety.
- Harms he cited included recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent, graphic images.
- Béjar said he repeatedly raised concerns with Facebook and Instagram executives who did little to resolve them.
A former Meta safety engineer has testified at a landmark trial that the company was aware of the potential harm its products caused children, according to the Guardian. Arturo Béjar took the stand on Tuesday and Wednesday to tell a jury that the technology company knew about the risks its social media platforms posed to young users.
Béjar characterised Meta’s approach to child safety as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy, the Guardian reported. He told the jury that the company understood the dangers on its platforms but chose not to address them fully.
Among the harms Béjar described were recommendation systems that pushed content from sexual predators, as well as violent and graphic images, according to the Guardian’s account of his testimony.
Béjar said he repeatedly raised these concerns with various Facebook and Instagram executives during his time at the company. Despite those warnings, he testified, the executives did little to resolve the issues.
The testimony came as part of a landmark trial against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The proceedings put the company’s internal handling of safety concerns under scrutiny before a jury. Meta’s response to the testimony was not detailed in the Guardian’s report.
The Guardian’s report focused on Béjar’s account of what Meta knew and how it responded to warnings from within its own safety team.
Why it matters
The testimony bears on a central question for parents, regulators and users: whether one of the world's largest social media companies knew its platforms endangered children and failed to act. The outcome of the trial could shape how tech firms are held accountable for online safety.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Arturo Béjar?
According to the Guardian, Arturo Béjar is a former Meta safety engineer who testified as a whistleblower at a landmark trial against the company.
What did Béjar say Meta knew?
Béjar told the jury that Meta was aware its products caused harm to children, including recommendations that pushed content from sexual predators and violent, graphic images.
Did Béjar raise concerns internally?
Yes. He testified that he repeatedly raised the issues with various Facebook and Instagram executives, but that they did little to resolve them.