Meta Platforms controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
2026
Film 'The Social Reckoning' released, portraying whistleblower claims against Meta
Issue disclosure
The Social Reckoning, a film by Aaron Sorkin, was released this week, portraying whistleblower claims that Meta executives were aware of their products harming young people. A Hollywood Reporter review described Jeremy Strong's portrayal of Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg as a "full-on villain".
Source excerpt
His reputation is unlikely to be helped by The Social Reckoning, a film by Aaron Sorkin released this week. It's about whistleblower claims that Meta executives were aware of their products harming young people.
Succession actor Jeremy Strong plays Zuckerberg as a "full-on villain", according to a review in the Hollywood Reporter
2026
Meta rolls out AI tools to detect ads leading to child sexual abuse material
Meta announced on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, that it is rolling out new AI tools to find ads and accounts that may be used to secretly direct people to illegal child sexual abuse material. The announcement followed the discovery of ads on its platforms that may look normal but direct users to harmful content elsewhere online.
Source excerpt
At the same time, the company is rolling out new AI tools to find ads and accounts that may be used to secretly direct people to illegal child abuse material.
Meta launches new AI tools after discovering ads on its platforms that may look normal but direct users to harmful content elsewhere online.
Meta announced Wednesday
2026
UK watchdog opens first Online Safety Act investigation into Meta
Investigation
A UK watchdog has opened the first investigation under the UK Online Safety Act into Meta. This marks the initial use of the Act's investigative powers against the company. The source does not specify the alleged conduct or the scope of the probe, leaving the specific concerns under examination unstated. The event is dated 2026.
Source excerpt
UK watchdog opens first Online Safety Act probe into Meta
2026
Meta executives set to testify at New York City Council hearing on AI risks
Investigation
Senior leaders from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta are scheduled to testify under oath on October 5, 2026 at a New York City Council 'Committee of the Whole' hearing on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, where the companies will be asked to explain the threats AI presents and weigh in on potential legislative solutions. Anthropic, OpenAI and Google agreed to appear only after the Council threatened to subpoena them. Anthropic is sending Frontier Red Team head Logan Graham, OpenAI is represented by Morgan Dwyer, head of policy development and operations, Google by AI and emerging tech policy director Alice Friend, and Meta by AI policy director for legislation Shane Cahill. The hearing follows intensifying scrutiny of leading AI labs' safety and security practices.
Source excerpt
The testimony will take place during a rare "Council Committee of the Whole" hearing, which means that all 51 members are expected to attend, according to a release from New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
Senior leaders from Anthropic , OpenAI, Google and Meta are slated to testify under oath during a New York City Council hearing about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence on Monday, following a month of intense debate surrounding the risks posed by advanced AI models.
2026
Sen. Warren and Senate Democrats send letters to Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft seeking information on AI tax subsidies
Investigation
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., joined by Democratic Sens. Tina Smith and Jeff Merkley, sent letters Sunday night to the CEOs of Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft seeking information on tax deductions the companies claimed for AI and data center development under the 2025 'one big beautiful bill' act and on their lobbying efforts ahead of the bill's passage. The letters cite falling corporate tax payments even as revenues rise, and request answers by Oct. 12. Spokespeople for all four companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stated objective. Seek information on tax deductions claimed related to AI and data center development and on lobbying efforts in the lead-up to the passage of the 2025 'one big beautiful bill' act, with answers requested by Oct. 12.
Source excerpt
Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass., led the letters, which were sent Sunday night and shared exclusively with CNBC, to the CEOs of the four companies asking for information on tax deductions they've claimed related to AI and data center development and on their lobbying efforts in the lead-up to the passage of the 2025 legislation, known more commonly as the "one big beautiful bill" act .
They requested answers from each company by Oct. 12.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other Senate Democrats sent letters to the CEOs of Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft seeking information on tax subsidies for AI and data center development they say was authorized by the GOP-led "one big beautiful bill" act.
2026
New Mexico jury finds Meta misled users about Facebook data practices
Ruling
A New Mexico jury found that Meta misled users about Facebook data practices, according to a Reuters report published on 2026-09-25. The finding, as reported by Reuters, concerns how the company communicated with users regarding its handling of Facebook data. The report does not specify further details of the proceedings or any resulting penalties. The event is recorded here as a controversy note based solely on the available Reuters report.
2026
Plaintiffs cite unsealed 'a/c priv' hats document in accusing Meta of 'culture of privilege abuse'
Issue disclosure
Lawyers suing Meta said this week that Meta has applied attorney-client privilege far too broadly in the ongoing lawsuits over alleged harm to teens' safety and mental health, pointing to a recently unsealed document showing that the team behind launching Instagram's Teen Accounts in 2024 (Project Nido) ordered baseball caps reading 'a/c priv.' The plaintiffs argue the swag is part of a 'culture of privilege abuse at Meta' aimed at keeping its internal research on teen harm out of the public eye. Meta has requested time through the end of this year to re-review other privilege redactions, while plaintiffs' lawyers say a neutral party should be appointed to lead the review, paid for by Meta.
Company response
Remediation — Meta
Now Meta has requested time through the end of this year to re-review other privilege redactions it’s made
Source excerpt
Meta’s lawyers have argued that certain evidence should be withheld from public view on the grounds of attorney-client privilege in the ongoing lawsuits over alleged harm to teens’ safety and mental health
Lawyers suing the company said this week that the label has been applied far too broadly, while pointing to a recently unsealed document showing that the team behind launching Instagram’s Teen Accounts in 2024 put in an order for baseball caps that simply said “a/c priv.”
The lawyers suing Meta argue the Project Nido (an internal name for the Teen Accounts team) swag is part of “culture of privilege abuse at Meta” aimed at keeping the research it’s conducted internally on teen harm out of the public eye
2026
Amazon blocks Meta's Muse AI agent from purchasing products on its e-commerce app
Amazon blocked Meta's Muse AI personal agent from purchasing products on Amazon's e-commerce app, stating that the functionality would violate Amazon's terms of service. In a statement, Amazon said that third-party applications offering to make purchases on behalf of customers should operate openly and respect service provider decisions. Meta declined to comment on the matter.
Amazon has blocked Meta's Muse AI personal agent from purchasing products on Amazon's e-commerce app, claiming the functionality would violate Amazon's terms of service. Amazon said in a statement that third-party applications offering to make purchases on behalf of customers should operate openly and respect service provider decisions, while Meta declined to comment.
Company response
Clarification — Amazon
third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions about whether or not to participate.
Source excerpt
Amazon has said that's a no-go, blocking Muse from purchasing products on the e-commerce app, claiming that it would violate the company's terms of service.
Meta's new Muse AI personal agent is garnering excitement and shows signs of becoming a hit, but Amazon has blocked the app from its site.
third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions about whether or not to participate.
2026
German court rules Meta liable for fake ads on Instagram and Facebook
Ruling
A German court has ruled that Meta is liable for fake advertisements that appeared on its Instagram and Facebook platforms. The ruling addresses the company's responsibility for fraudulent advertising content published on these services. The decision was reported as a news event concerning the platform operator.
Source excerpt
German court rules Meta liable for fake ads on Instagram, Facebook
2026
Meta's Oversight Board orders the company to remove deepfake videos from Facebook
Ruling
Meta's Oversight Board has ordered the company to remove deepfake videos from Facebook. The decision concerns deepfake videos hosted on the platform, and the board directed Meta to take them down. The order was reported as a news event involving the company and its oversight body. No further details about the videos, the individuals involved, or the outcome of the removal were provided in the available source material.
Source excerpt
Meta’s Oversight Board Orders the Company to Remove Deepfake Videos From Facebook
2026
Meta notifies about 1,500 people after attackers access private GitHub repositories
Issue disclosure
Meta began notifying approximately 1,500 people, most of them company employees in the United States, after attackers used stolen employee credentials to access the company's private code repositories on GitHub. According to Meta, about 99% of the copied material was business information, mainly code associated with some of its products, while the remaining 1% included personal data that had been uploaded by mistake and in violation of company policy. Meta said the incident did not involve a vulnerability in any of its products and that its internal systems were not breached.
Meta has begun notifying approximately 1,500 people, most of them company employees in the United States, after attackers used stolen employee credentials to access the company's private code repositories on GitHub. According to Meta, about 99% of the copied material was business information, mainly code associated with some of its products, while the remaining 1% included personal data that had been uploaded by mistake and in violation of company policy. Meta said the incident did not involve a vulnerability in any of its products and that its internal systems were not breached.
Company response
Ongoing disclosure — Meta
Investigation — Meta
Its investigation found that the data had been placed in the development repositories by mistake.
Remediation — Meta
Following the discovery, Meta blocked the attackers’ access, replaced exposed access keys and other credentials, and strengthened its security measures.
Refund or compensation — Meta
Those affected are being offered credit monitoring and services that track whether their personal information appears on the dark web.
Source excerpt
The exposed material consisted primarily of business software code, but also included a small amount of personal information that had been uploaded mistakenly and in violation of company policy.
The remaining 1% included personal data.
2026
Muse users complain the AI agent accessed personal messages without permission
Issue disclosure
Some users of Meta's Muse personal agent app complained on social media that the agent accessed their personal messages without permission, according to CNBC. Meta disputed the claims, with chief AI officer Alexandr Wang saying users may have given permission earlier in conversation and forgotten, and the company is now focusing on educating users.
Company response
Denial — Meta
Meta has disputed the claims and Wang said users may have given permission earlier in conversation and forgotten.
Remediation — Meta
Source excerpt
Some Muse users have complained on social media that the agent accessed their personal messages without permission, according to CNBC.
Meta has disputed the claims and Wang said users may have given permission earlier in conversation and forgotten.
2026
Bank Leumi sues Meta for NIS 26.6 million over scam ads
Lawsuit filed
Bank Leumi filed a lawsuit against Meta in Tel Aviv District Court, seeking NIS 26.6 million. The bank alleges that fraudulent advertisements impersonating it on Facebook and Instagram are used to steal customers' sensitive information and access their accounts. It further claims that Meta's screening and monitoring systems are insufficient to detect and prevent these scams.
Bank Leumi filed a NIS 26.6 million lawsuit against Meta in Tel Aviv District Court, alleging that fraudulent advertisements impersonating the bank on Facebook and Instagram are used to steal customers' sensitive information and access their accounts, and that Meta's screening and monitoring systems are insufficient to detect and prevent the scams.
Source excerpt
Bank Leumi has filed a NIS 26.6 million lawsuit against Meta in Tel Aviv District Court, alleging that fraudulent advertisements impersonating the bank on Facebook and Instagram are being used to steal customers’ sensitive information and access their accounts.
The fraudulent advertisements allegedly use Bank Leumi’s name and trademarks without authorization while offering fake promotions, including shopping vouchers and vehicle raffles.
The bank claims Meta’s screening and monitoring systems are insufficient to detect and prevent the scams before they reach users.
2026
Meta ordered to pay US$567 million in New Mexico child-safety ruling
Fine or penalty
A US judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay US$567 million for failing to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children. In the first phase of the trial, Meta was found to have repeatedly violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act, with its recommendation algorithms steering young users toward harmful content and contacts.
Source excerpt
A US judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay another US$567m (£421m) for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, marking the largest fine
2026
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 million
Fine or penalty
A New Mexico court ordered Meta Platforms to pay $567 million over alleged harms to young users on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. The order followed a March jury verdict finding that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed information related to child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
Stated objective. The court directed $420 million toward treatment services for young people; remaining funds were reported to be for awareness and prevention programmes, screening services and related costs.
Source excerpt
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta Platforms to pay $567 million over alleged harms to young users on Facebook and Instagram.
The ruling that was issued by Judge Bryan Biedscheid in the second phase of a landmark trial directed $420 million of the amount to be used for treatment services for young people.
The order follows a March jury verdict that imposed $375 million in civil penalties on Meta after finding that the company knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed information related to child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
2026
New Mexico fines Meta in youth safety case
Fine or penalty
Meta was fined almost $1 billion in New Mexico in a youth safety case. The source does not specify when the fine was issued or provide further details about the ruling. The event is recorded as a controversy note concerning Meta Platforms, based on the available report.
Source excerpt
The almost $1 billion fine in New Mexico against Meta may not seem like all that much for the parent company of Instagram and Facebook.
But it’s a major ruling in the ongoing debate over social media and children’s safety.
2026
New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 million
Fine or penalty
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay more than $567 million over the state's claims that the company created a public nuisance and harmed children. Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal.
Company response
Denial — Meta
“We disagree with the ruling and will appeal,” Meta told AFP in a statement Thursday.
Source excerpt
SAN FRANCISCO — A New Mexico judge on Thursday ordered Meta to pay more than half a billion dollars over the state’s claims that the social media giant created a “public nuisance” and harmed children.
In March, the jury found Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its products for children.
2026
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 million and change youth-safety measures
Ruling
A New Mexico judge ruled that Meta created a public nuisance and ordered it to pay $567 million into an abatement fund and implement youth-safety measures for Facebook and Instagram in the state. The court found that WhatsApp was not a contributing cause of the public nuisance and did not subject it to the same orders. Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal.
Source excerpt
Judge Bryan Biedscheid of Santa Fe also ordered various changes to the way Meta’s platforms operate for children using them in New Mexico after ruling yesterday (6 August) that the company had created a “public nuisance” in the state.
Social media and tech giant Meta has been fined $567m by a court in the US state of New Mexico, with the money to be used to address harms caused to young people by its Instagram and Facebook platforms.
WhatsApp, the third Meta-owned platform under scrutiny in the case, was found by the court not to be a “contributing cause to the public nuisance” and therefore would not be subject to the same orders as Instagram and Facebook.
2026
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 million and enact child-safety measures
Ruling
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million for failing to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, bringing the total ordered in the case to $942 million. The judge also ordered measures intended to address child safety on the platforms. Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal.
Company response
Denial — Meta
A spokesman for Meta, which owns and operates Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads, said Thursday: “We disagree with the ruling and will appeal.”
Source excerpt
The judge also ordered Meta to enact other measures, including ensuring that no account of a user under age 18 is recommended to an adult and that no adult can message an underage user, banning the sending or receiving of nudity by underage users and enacting a “1-strike policy for adult users who engage in child sexual exploitation.”
A spokesman for Meta, which owns and operates Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads, said Thursday: “We disagree with the ruling and will appeal.”
A US judge in New Mexico on Thursday ordered Meta to pay another $567m (£421m) for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, marking the largest ruling against the company over child safety.
2026
Meta revises business account terms for website content use
Issue disclosure
Meta Platforms revised its business account terms to grant itself authority to use automated software to retrieve content from business users' websites for its products, including AI. Legal and media experts raised concerns about the breadth of the terms. Meta stated that the change consolidated contractual terms and that there was no change to how it uses web crawlers.
Meta recently changed its business account terms, granting itself authority to use automated software to retrieve content from business users’ websites for its products, including AI. Legal and media experts raised concerns about the breadth of the terms. Meta said the change consolidated contractual terms and that there was no change to how it uses web crawlers.
Stated objective. Meta said the changes were meant to streamline related contractual changes.
Company response
Clarification — Meta
“There is no change to how Meta uses web crawlers; any suggestion to the contrary is false,” the company said. “We’re simply consolidating our commercial and self-serve ad terms to make it easier for businesses to understand our advertising rules.”
Source excerpt
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, recently changed its terms of service for business accounts, granting itself sweeping new authority to scrape business users’ websites for content to power its artificial intelligence products without a contract or compensation.
The new terms of use unilaterally grant Meta the authority to “use automated software” to grab “any content” in order to “develop” its own offerings, including artificial intelligence.
“There is no change to how Meta uses web crawlers; any suggestion to the contrary is false,” the company said. “We’re simply consolidating our commercial and self-serve ad terms to make it easier for businesses to understand our advertising rules.”
2026
Report says Meta employees described Lula’s accounts as hindered during Brazil election
Issue disclosure
Reuters reported that Folha said Meta employees described Lula’s accounts as having been hindered during the Brazil election. The supplied evidence does not establish further details or a determination. This item is recorded as a controversy note concerning Meta Platforms, based solely on the event fields and source quote provided.
Source excerpt
Meta employees said Lula's accounts were hindered during Brazil election, Folha reports Reuters
2026
Meta removes terms language that raised scraping and AI training concerns
Company response
Meta removed language from its commercial terms of use that had raised concerns about scraping and using content to train AI models. A Meta spokesperson said the updated terms did not reflect a change in how Meta crawls the web.
Company response
Clarification — Meta
A Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated terms did not reflect a change in the way Meta crawls the web.
Source excerpt
Meta removes language that raised scraping and AI training concerns.
A Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated terms did not reflect a change in the way Meta crawls the web.
According to legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab , this looked like a “remarkable provision” that could give Meta permission to scrape the website of any publisher with a Meta business account and use the content to train the company’s AI models.
2026
Brazilian electoral court orders Meta to ensure equal treatment of presidential candidates
Ruling
Brazil's top electoral court ordered Meta to take measures to ensure equal treatment of the two presidential candidates, including applying identical criteria to their candidacies in its AI tool. The ruling said Meta would face a daily fine for failing to comply. Lula's campaign had accused Meta of favoring Bolsonaro; the ruling does not establish that the allegations were proven.
Source excerpt
A judge of Brazil's top electoral court ruled on October 15 that Meta must immediately adopt measures to ensure equal treatment of the two presidential candidates ahead of an October 25 runoff.
Justice Marco Aurélio Bellizze ruled that Meta cannot reduce the distribution of political content, restrict searches, or remove posts in a way that creates an imbalance between Lula and Bolsonaro. His ruling also orders the company to ensure its artificial intelligence tool applies identical criteria to both candidacies.
The ruling comes shortly after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is running against Flávio Bolsonaro, filed a complaint accusing the tech company that owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp of using biased algorithms and AI restrictions to favor the opposition candidate ahead of the election.
2023
European data-transfer penalty
Ireland’s data-protection regulator fined Meta €1.2 billion over the transfer of European user data to the United States without adequate protections under European data-protection requirements.
2018
Privacy and platform-governance scrutiny
Facebook faced intensified public and regulatory criticism over privacy, data use, political influence, misinformation and platform governance. The scrutiny continued to shape Meta’s policies and reputation.