A jury in New Mexico found “Meta” guilty of facilitating the sexual exploitation of children on its platforms. “Meta” must now pay a $375 million fine.
Reuters reports this.
The jury found that “Meta” violated state consumer protection laws and ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages. This is the first time a jury has ruled on such charges against “Meta”.
At the same time, both company employees and external child safety experts have repeatedly warned about the risks and harmful conditions on “Meta” platforms, The Gurdian writes.
A “Meta” spokesperson said the company disagrees with the courtʼs decision and will appeal. He said “Meta” is constantly working to improve the security of its platforms and openly acknowledges that it can sometimes be difficult to detect and remove harmful content.
The lawsuit arose after an undercover operation in 2023 in which investigators created Facebook and Instagram accounts posing as users under the age of 14.
These accounts received sexually explicit material from adult users, leading to criminal charges against several people.
In May, Judge Brian Bidscheid will hold a non-jury trial on the stateʼs allegations that “Meta” created a public danger by harming the health and safety of residents.
The prosecutorʼs office plans to demand changes from the company on its platforms, including effective age verification of users and strengthening the fight against pedophiles on social networks.
- In May 2024, the European Union launched an investigation against social networks Facebook and Instagram for violations of the EU Digital Services Act related to child safety.
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