“Already Inescapable”: AI Surveillance by Big Tech is Here, Says Meta Whistleblower

WhistleblowerAid.org client describes to members of Congress how social media companies use AI tools to collect users’ personal data WASHINGTON, D.C., September 17, 2026 – Meta Whistleblower Dr. Jason Sattizahn testified before members of Congress today about Big Tech’s use of AI surveillance to collect massive amounts of data on its users — with or without consent. U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the House Monopoly Busters Caucus, led the shadow hearing entitled “AI Crossroads: Stopping Big Tech’s Race to Monopolize AI through Surveillance.” “AI surveillance is already inescapable in the technology we use everyday,” said Dr. Sattizahn. “Grandiose doomsday claims about AI only benefit Meta and other tech companies, because it distracts from this fact and attempts to convince Americans that AI capabilities are beyond their understanding. This is not true. Unfortunately, it is up to all of us to understand how these companies have already siphoned our data without our true consent and push back. We would be foolish to even consider allowing tech companies to regulate themselves, and we should not assume that they will approach policy conversations in good faith. Profit margins drive these companies’ decisions around AI and the use of your data. Period.” “Jason’s testimony was sobering and straight to the point,” said WhistleblowerAid.org CEO Libby Liu. “As people discuss the potential impacts of AI on humanity, we often miss the fact that tech giants are already using AI tools to build a new reality of online surveillance. This has an immediate impact on the lives of Americans and is causing grave harm to users as social media and AI companies use AI to increase the addictiveness of its products and prioritize profits over safety. We are proud of Jason for continuing to warn Congress and the public about growing online dangers.” “This hearing could not be more timely,” said Rep. Jayapal. “After months of communities speaking out and organizing across the country against data centers and threats of artificial intelligence, now top researchers and even CEOs from those AI companies are also beginning to speak out about their own concerns that artificial intelligence is advancing so rapidly and recklessly that even they believe it could lead to the extinction of humanity. These companies do not exist in a vacuum. They come from a world in which Big Tech corporations and large AI companies backed by those same corporations wield enormous power over the entire AI stack, whether it is the advanced chips, cloud computing, or the models themselves. This has created a closed loop of a few interdependent giants. Before we let this industry lock in its current shape for good, we need real structural solutions to break this oligopoly control and surveillance regime. That’s why I will soon be releasing a bill that would establish a national federal charter for AI companies, just like we do with banks. These companies would need a charter to operate, and the charter would be conditioned on structural reforms to ensure that the American people’s interest comes first.” Dr. Sattizahn served as a witness in trials brought by state Attorneys General against Meta over the harm its platforms have continued to cause to children and its business plan built on public deception. In February of this year, he was a key witness in the New Mexico trial that resulted in a $375 million verdict against Meta — and more importantly imposed mandatory reforms of its business practices. Last year, Dr. Sattizahn, along with fellow former Meta researcher Cayce Savage and four anonymous whistleblowers, revealed to Congress that not only do Meta’s platforms expose young users to harmful content and online predators — but Meta’s response to grieving families amounted to empty apologies and ever more public lies. They gave accounts of how the tech giant censored its employees, buried their internal child safety research, diverted research away from known safety problems and destroyed evidence. On September 9, 2025, Dr. Sattizahn and Ms. Savage testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee about the disregard of child safety they witnessed at Meta. WhistleblowerAid.org is a pioneering non-profit legal organization founded in 2017 that helps public and private sector workers report and expose wrongdoing safely, lawfully, and responsibly. ###