Meta Ordered to Pay $375M in New Mexico Child Exploitation Lawsuit


A New Mexico jury found Tuesday that Meta violated the state’s consumer protection laws by misleading users about the safety of and allowing child sexual exploitation on its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, as reported earlier by Reuters. 

The company was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties as a result of the lawsuit, which was brought by the state’s attorney general. That sum is the maximum penalty per violation under the state’s law, but there’s no further information at this time about how the funds will be distributed.

Meta said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. 

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” the company’s statement said. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleged that the company’s executives knew its products hurt children and disregarded warnings from employees. 

“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” Torrez said in a statement.

Torrez said the state will seek additional penalties and ask the court to require the company to make changes to its platform to protect children.

At the same time, a jury in Los Angeles is considering a case against Meta and Google-owned YouTube brought by a young woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a child. The Los Angeles trial, during which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified, is seen as a bellwether for similar cases across the country. The jury in that case told the judge on Monday that it was having difficulty reaching a consensus regarding one defendant, but did not name which one.





Source link

  • Related Posts

    Don’t Leave These 7 Devices Plugged in When You Leave Home

    Some household appliances should always stay plugged in even when we’re away for days. Refrigerators, for example, need to stay on to ensure food doesn’t spoil. But what about the less…

    WhatsApp ordered to host rival AI assistants for free

    Meta has been ordered by the European Commission to restore free WhatsApp access for chatbots made by rival AI providers while the regulator finishes its antitrust investigation. The rare interim…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Citing Supreme Court challenge, Carney government extends gun ban deadline

    Citing Supreme Court challenge, Carney government extends gun ban deadline

    Don’t Leave These 7 Devices Plugged in When You Leave Home

    Don’t Leave These 7 Devices Plugged in When You Leave Home

    Democrats rally round Platner in Maine as Trump reaffirms grip on GOP after primaries | US politics

    Democrats rally round Platner in Maine as Trump reaffirms grip on GOP after primaries | US politics

    Charged with fraud, Manitoba man still selling shipping container pools under new business name

    Charged with fraud, Manitoba man still selling shipping container pools under new business name

    Big Walk was born during a COVID lockdown out of a distaste for birthday party Zoom calls

    Big Walk was born during a COVID lockdown out of a distaste for birthday party Zoom calls

    Carolina Herrera Resort 2027 Ready-to-Wear Runway, Fashion Show & Collection Review

    Carolina Herrera Resort 2027 Ready-to-Wear Runway, Fashion Show & Collection Review