Lobby virksomhed part 4
5. Meta Keeps International and US Child Safety Lobbying Completely Separate
I cross-referenced Meta's 18 EU retained lobbying firms against US lobbying registrations.
Three firms confirmed operating for Meta in both jurisdictions:
Firm EU Role US Connection
Trilligent (APCO Worldwide subsidiary) EUR 680K for AI Act, DMA, DSA APCO offices in DC; Meta VP calls them "integrated members of our Meta team"
White & Case LLP EUR 50-100K, digital markets/services Lead international outside counsel, 70+ lawyer team
FTI Consulting Belgium EUR 10-25K Subsidiary of FTI Consulting Inc (NYSE: FCN, HQ Washington DC)
None of these firms touch child safety or age verification for Meta. The child safety lobbying runs through entirely separate state-level firms: Headwaters in Colorado, Pelican State Partners in Louisiana. None of Meta's US federal lobbying firms (Avoq, Mindset, Blue Mountain) have EU operations.
International regulatory work (AI Act, DSA, DMA) goes through global firms. Age verification lobbying goes through state-level specialists with no international footprint. Two separate networks, no overlap.
Sources: EU Transparency Register via LobbyFacts.eu, OpenSecrets, Senate LDA filings, firm websites
The Global Picture
30+ jurisdictions introduced age verification legislation within 18 months (October 2024 to March 2026). Meta spends EUR 10 million per year on EU lobbying. 30 lobbyists. 18+ consulting firms. 277 European Commission meetings over a decade, including meetings specifically on "Children on internet protection" and "Minor protection online."
RSF (Reporters Without Borders) documented 2,977 lobbying actions by Meta and Google across 10+ countries. Same playbook everywhere: astroturfing, revolving door hiring, front groups, disinformation. In Brazil, former President Michel Temer acted as an intermediary for big tech. Meta ran paid ads falsely claiming regulation would "ban the Bible."
Meta failed to shift the compliance burden outside the US. The ASAA puts verification on app stores and devices. In Brazil, the EU, UK, and Australia, the burden falls on platforms directly. The ASAA playbook worked in four US states. It worked nowhere else.
Sources: Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyFacts.eu, RSF/Agencia Publica cross-country investigation, HRW, IAPP, EFF
All Findings Are Now Public and Off Big-Tech Platforms
Everything is at
https://tboteproject.com
The repository can be found at
https://tboteproject.com/git/hekate/attestation-findings
The research repository contains all source documents, IRS 990 analyses, state lobbying data, API query results, and disclosure PDFs. Every finding sourced from public records: IRS filings, state lobbying disclosures, PAC filings, campaign finance databases, corporate registries, congressional APIs, EU transparency registers, UK charity filings, and archived websites.
You are free to fork, clone, or otherwise share these files. I encourage you to email your favorite YouTubers or forward it to trust worthy media.
What's Next
March 16, 2026: February monthly disclosures due in Colorado, the first filings covering SB26-051 activity
March 17, 2026: Brazil's Digital ECA takes effect
CORA and FOIA responses pending from Colorado SOS, Colorado AG, and Louisiana Ethics Board
Still needed: DCA fiscal sponsor confirmation, Casey Stefanski's NCOSE "Global Partnerships" role, bill text comparison across jurisdictions
Sources (all public records)
IRS 990 filings: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (ICMEC 2022-2024, ConnectSafely 2017-2024)
UK Charity Commission: Childnet International (1080173), FOSI UK (1095268)
Brazil: Chamber of Deputies API (dadosabertos.camara.leg.br)
EU lobbying: LobbyFacts.eu, Corporate Europe Observatory, EU Transparency Register
Cross-country investigation: RSF, Agencia Publica, CLIP
US lobbying: OpenSecrets, Senate LDA filings, Colorado SOS, Texas Ethics Commission
Reporting: Bloomberg, HRW, IAPP, EFF, Biometric Update
All other sources can be found on the repository
Lobby virksomhed part 4
5. Meta Keeps International and US Child Safety Lobbying Completely Separate
I cross-referenced Meta's 18 EU retained lobbying firms against US lobbying registrations.
Three firms confirmed operating for Meta in both jurisdictions:
Firm EU Role US Connection
Trilligent (APCO Worldwide subsidiary) EUR 680K for AI Act, DMA, DSA APCO offices in DC; Meta VP calls them "integrated members of our Meta team"
White & Case LLP EUR 50-100K, digital markets/services Lead international outside counsel, 70+ lawyer team
FTI Consulting Belgium EUR 10-25K Subsidiary of FTI Consulting Inc (NYSE: FCN, HQ Washington DC)
None of these firms touch child safety or age verification for Meta. The child safety lobbying runs through entirely separate state-level firms: Headwaters in Colorado, Pelican State Partners in Louisiana. None of Meta's US federal lobbying firms (Avoq, Mindset, Blue Mountain) have EU operations.
International regulatory work (AI Act, DSA, DMA) goes through global firms. Age verification lobbying goes through state-level specialists with no international footprint. Two separate networks, no overlap.
Sources: EU Transparency Register via LobbyFacts.eu, OpenSecrets, Senate LDA filings, firm websites
The Global Picture
30+ jurisdictions introduced age verification legislation within 18 months (October 2024 to March 2026). Meta spends EUR 10 million per year on EU lobbying. 30 lobbyists. 18+ consulting firms. 277 European Commission meetings over a decade, including meetings specifically on "Children on internet protection" and "Minor protection online."
RSF (Reporters Without Borders) documented 2,977 lobbying actions by Meta and Google across 10+ countries. Same playbook everywhere: astroturfing, revolving door hiring, front groups, disinformation. In Brazil, former President Michel Temer acted as an intermediary for big tech. Meta ran paid ads falsely claiming regulation would "ban the Bible."
Meta failed to shift the compliance burden outside the US. The ASAA puts verification on app stores and devices. In Brazil, the EU, UK, and Australia, the burden falls on platforms directly. The ASAA playbook worked in four US states. It worked nowhere else.
Sources: Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyFacts.eu, RSF/Agencia Publica cross-country investigation, HRW, IAPP, EFF
All Findings Are Now Public and Off Big-Tech Platforms
Everything is at https://tboteproject.com
The repository can be found at https://tboteproject.com/git/hekate/attestation-findings
The research repository contains all source documents, IRS 990 analyses, state lobbying data, API query results, and disclosure PDFs. Every finding sourced from public records: IRS filings, state lobbying disclosures, PAC filings, campaign finance databases, corporate registries, congressional APIs, EU transparency registers, UK charity filings, and archived websites.
You are free to fork, clone, or otherwise share these files. I encourage you to email your favorite YouTubers or forward it to trust worthy media.
What's Next
March 16, 2026: February monthly disclosures due in Colorado, the first filings covering SB26-051 activity
March 17, 2026: Brazil's Digital ECA takes effect
CORA and FOIA responses pending from Colorado SOS, Colorado AG, and Louisiana Ethics Board
Still needed: DCA fiscal sponsor confirmation, Casey Stefanski's NCOSE "Global Partnerships" role, bill text comparison across jurisdictions
Sources (all public records)
IRS 990 filings: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (ICMEC 2022-2024, ConnectSafely 2017-2024)
UK Charity Commission: Childnet International (1080173), FOSI UK (1095268)
Brazil: Chamber of Deputies API (dadosabertos.camara.leg.br)
EU lobbying: LobbyFacts.eu, Corporate Europe Observatory, EU Transparency Register
Cross-country investigation: RSF, Agencia Publica, CLIP
US lobbying: OpenSecrets, Senate LDA filings, Colorado SOS, Texas Ethics Commission
Reporting: Bloomberg, HRW, IAPP, EFF, Biometric Update
All other sources can be found on the repository
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