Bombshell Letter from Grassley Surfaces Two Whistleblower Firings in Recent Weeks

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, The Tech Oversight Project slammed Meta for likely violating federal whistleblower laws by firing two employees, Joshua DeFriez and William Sevedge, who anonymously brought forward evidence of the company breaking the law and violating children and teens’ privacy. The details emerged in a new letter from Senator Chuck Grassley to the company asking for details about the firings and allegations from whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams.

“This is a double-whammy. Meta broke the law by violating kids’ privacy, and they broke the law by firing employees who lawfully came forward to blow the whistle about the wanton disregard this company has for young people. No wonder Mark Zuckerberg asked the White House to get him out of testifying before Sen. Grassley’s committee. This should be all the evidence Congress needs to subpoena Zuckerberg if he won’t show up voluntarily and hold Meta accountable for breaking the law,” said Sacha Haworth, Executive Director of The Tech Oversight Project.

The letter comes just days after Meta’s longtime Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, promised lawsuits for any employee caught leaking information or whistleblowing. Meta’s slash-and-burn legal tactics are drawing the ire of Congress. Late last week, Senator Josh Hawley opened yet another investigatory request into Meta – this time focused on the company lying to Congress, obstructing Congress from carrying out its oversight responsibilities, and abusing the legal system to silence Sarah Wynn-Williams and future whistleblowers.