Meta Employees Ordered 'Attorney/Client Privilege' Hats Amid Child Safety Lawsuits
Lawyers suing Meta have criticized the company's broad use of attorney-client privilege to withhold evidence in ongoing lawsuits related to teen safety and mental health. A recently unsealed document revealed that Meta’s Teen Accounts team ordered baseball caps labeled 'a/c priv,' which plaintiffs argue reflects a broader culture at Meta aimed at concealing internal research on adolescent harm. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers previously criticized some of Meta's privilege claims as inappropriate, noting they were based more on business concerns than legal advice. In April 2025, Meta de-designated about 65,000 documents after discovery, but plaintiffs claim this was too late for use in depositions. Meta is now seeking additional time to re-review privilege redactions through the end of the year, while plaintiff lawyers are pushing for a neutral third party—paid by Meta—to oversee the process.
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Topics: Attorney-client privilege Child safety Instagram Teen Accounts Lawsuits Meta