Meta trial: some security tools were "designed to fail", accuses a former engineer of the group

Tools meant to protect teenagers on Instagram were "designed to fail," said former Meta engineer Arturo Bejar on Wednesday, the first witness in the major federal trial where a coalition of states accuses the social media giant of lying about their danger.

Meta strongly opposed the appearance, before the federal court in Oakland (California), of this former head of user security at Facebook (2009-2015) and ex-consultant (2019-2021).

But the group, which is seeking to avoid a colossal fine and a forced overhaul of its applications, was met with a refusal from the judge, who denounced a "desperate" attempt to dismiss a "solid witness".

Before the jury entered, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, after admonishing the lawyers for both sides about their numerous late and repeated objections, reminded them of the stakes of the trial: "The allegation is that Meta lied and falsely claimed that these features were not addictive."

To try to demonstrate this to the jury, the voice of Arturo Bejar has become indispensable, he who has already testified for the American Congress in other courts, for the thousands of families, schools and dozens of states that are suing all the social networks in the United States.

- Email to Zuckerberg -

In a calm voice, with a neatly trimmed white beard, Arturo Bejar patiently described to the jury how the functions meant to combat excessive use of social networks were "designed to fail" because they were based on user initiative: "It's like having to activate the airbag every time you get in a car."

Almost no one activates the "take a break" reminder or the "silent mode," which is supposed to cut off nighttime notifications, he explained: an effective tool would block access for fifteen minutes, display the time spent and help the teenager set a limit.

To allow notifications only from one friend, a user must navigate through "more than fifty buttons spread across ten settings screens".

Her credibility also rests on her email sent on October 5, 2021 to Mark Zuckerberg and three other leaders, the day that whistleblower Frances Haugen, who released the "Facebook Files", gave historic testimony before the US Senate.

Arturo Bejar, who received no response, wrote that approximately half of Instagram users reported a "negative experience" in the past week. Out of 10,000 affected individuals, around 100 filed a report, and two had their content removed.

- Under 13 years old -

The company, which now claims 3.6 billion users, measured performance, and therefore compensation, on the number of users and their time spent online, he explained: "all roads lead to time spent in the product", and "security always came second".

After the denunciation of pedophile networks on Instagram, the engineer conducts an investigation: by creating test accounts of minors, he comes across in a few minutes accounts of children revealing their age on the screen, and finds tens of thousands of them, while those under 13 are prohibited on the application.

In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg publicly denied that "his company prioritizes profit over safety." "That's so wrong," exclaimed Arturo Bejar. Especially since the company could have taken the necessary steps: "When Mark decides something is a priority, mountains move in a matter of months."

The cross-examination, led by Meta's lawyer Brian Stekloff, began late in the morning.

The defense denies any lies, claiming to have publicly acknowledged that some young people had a "problematic use" of social networks, but that the responsibility of the designers and addiction to the platforms are not scientifically established.

California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, which are leading the case on behalf of some thirty states, are demanding nearly $200 billion in penalties and an overhaul of Facebook and Instagram.

The eight jurors will give an advisory verdict in late September or early October, but Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will make the final decision alone.