Hawley Demands Documents From Zuckerberg

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is demanding Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hand over documents from his company about its AI policies toward minors.

The move comes after an explosive report from Reuters that detailed how an internal Meta Platforms document permitted Meta chatbots to engage children in “conversations that are romantic or sensual.”

“Big Tech companies masquerade as stewards of innovation when they are really motivated by power and profit. That’s why they’ve stooped to using our kids as guinea pigs to test their latest tech. How long will Congress allow companies like Meta to get rich off exploiting their youngest, most impressionable users?” Hawley told The Daily Signal. 

In his letter, Hawley stated that the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he chairs, will investigate whether Meta’s AI products enable crimes toward children and whether the company misled the public or government regulators about its AI tools.

“To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an AI chatbot to comment that an eight-year-old’s body is ‘a work of art’ of which ‘every inch . . . is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply.’ Similar conduct outlined in these reports is reprehensible and outrageous—and demonstrates a cavalier attitude when it comes to the real risks that generative AI presents to youth development absent strong guardrails. Parents deserve the truth, and kids deserve protection,” Hawley wrote in the letter. 

The Missouri senator has demanded that Meta produce by Sept. 19 relevant documents including the company’s “GenAI: Content Risk Standards” and several forms of risk reviews and incident reports.

Having served in the upper congressional chamber since 2019, Hawley has become famous for his cross-examination of prominent witnesses in the Senate. In 2024, Hawley accused Zuckerberg of harming teenagers with his digital products.

“Your own study says that you make life worse for 1 in 3 teenage girls. You increase anxiety and depression. You are here testifying to us in public that there is no link,” Hawley told the Meta CEO at the hearing.

In April of this year, Missouri senator brought ex-Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams before the Crime and Counterterrorism subcommittee to testify about Meta’s relationship with China. Hawley previously served as Missouri Attorney General and as a clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts on the Supreme Court.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Signal.

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