Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri this week announced his own investigation into Meta. His actions come in the wake of disturbing reports of the company’s chatbot’s interactions with minors. This request began on August 15. On that day, Hawley made his intentions known in a salvo of a post on the new social media platform X.
The investigation centers around an internal document titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards,” which was obtained by Reuters. In fact, at a Senate hearing, Hawley expressed his horror at the material produced by Meta’s chatbots. He raised concerns that certain types of interactions might be harmful for kids. In a subsequent letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he described that internal document as “reprehensible and outrageous.”
Hawley emphasized the need for transparency and safety for children, stating, “Parents deserve the truth, and kids deserve protection.” He’d like to find out how big of a problem it is. In order to accomplish this, he is asking for access to the internal PIA document and a list of PIA qualifying products.
On the implications of the findings, Hawley remarked, “Now we learn Meta’s chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and ‘sensual’ talk with 8 year olds. It’s sick. I’m launching a full investigation to get answers. Big Tech: Leave our kids alone.” His remarks are indicative of a growing concern among lawmakers over the negative effects technology platforms have on young, vulnerable users.
In response to the controversy, a Meta spokesperson acknowledged that “the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.” Their letter continued by asserting that the company must have a zero-tolerance policy on content that sexualizes children and content involving sexualized role play between adults and minors. The spokesperson did point to teams’ extensive examples of how they would address various hypothetical situations. This is about more than policy guidebooks.
Hawley’s investigation is an encouraging sign that these companies are starting to face larger scrutiny from Big Tech companies and their responsibilities toward younger audiences. The senator’s actions align with broader calls for increased regulation and oversight of technology firms in light of their growing impact on society.