Jury finds Meta liable in case over child sexual exploitation on its platforms

6 hours ago

A jury found Meta liable for violating New Mexico law by failing to protect children from sexual predators and misleading users about platform safety.
Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in damages for 'unfair and deceptive' trade practices.
This marks the first time Meta has been held accountable in a jury trial for child safety issues on its platforms.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023, alleging it created a 'breeding ground' for child predators.
Meta plans to appeal the decision, claiming it has a 'longstanding commitment to supporting young people.'
The case is part of broader legal challenges facing Meta and other social media platforms over young user safety.
Whistleblowers testified that Meta executives ignored warnings about harms to children and prioritized profits over safety.
Meta will stop supporting end-to-end encryption on Instagram DMs, citing low user adoption.
The New Mexico AG's office used fake child profiles to expose predatory behavior, leading to three arrests.
Meta criticized the investigation as 'ethically compromised,' but the AG dismissed these claims as a distraction.

Hasty Briefsbeta