Meta Discussed 'Whisper Strategy' to Discredit Social Media Critic Jonathan Haidt, Files Show
The Guardian reports: Meta staff discussed deploying a "whisper strategy" to undermine the influential US academic whose work has inspired a global social media crackdown, according to court documents. Employees at the parent group of Facebook and Instagram sought to discredit Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, a book that helped tip the debate about…
Court documents reveal that Meta employees explored a "whisper strategy" to undermine the reputation of a prominent US academic, Jonathan Haidt, according to The Guardian. Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, has been influential in the global debate around social media safety, leading to stricter measures like the recent under-16 ban in Australia.
Internal meetings, detailed in a legal filing, show discussions on how to persuade the academic community to distance themselves from Haidt. The strategy aimed to "enrage" Haidt and discredit his work, with no mention of loud tactics. The minutes also refer to Meta's then vice-president of research, Curtiss Cobb. It remains unclear if Meta implemented these plans.
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