New Mexico Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg Over Child Exploitation Allegations
In a major development, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a lawsuit against Meta, formerly known as Facebook, and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The lawsuit accuses the company of facilitating human trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse materials through its platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
According to the complaint, Facebook and Instagram have become “breeding grounds” for predators who target children for human trafficking, grooming, and solicitation. The lawsuit follows investigations by The Wall Street Journal that exposed the presence of pedophiles on Meta’s platforms.
As a response to these disturbing revelations, Meta has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of its existing child safety policies and enforcement systems. The company aims to address the issues raised by the investigations and ensure the safety of its users, particularly children.
This legal trouble is not the first for Meta, as the company was previously sued by 33 states in October for allegedly targeting children with addictive features. The recent lawsuit by the New Mexico attorney general’s office highlights the severity of the child exploitation problem on Meta’s platforms.
The investigation conducted by the New Mexico attorney general’s office involved the use of decoy accounts posing as children under 14. Shockingly, the investigation uncovered evidence that Meta’s platforms serve sexually explicit material to underage users and facilitate the distribution of child pornography.
One of the claims in the lawsuit alleges that Meta’s algorithm recognized the age of a fake 13-year-old account for advertising purposes but failed to prioritize the user’s safety. The account received multiple messages featuring exposed genitalia and was added to a Facebook Messenger group dedicated to exchanging child sexual abuse materials.
While Meta has implemented proactive measures to detect and remove accounts and groups that violate its child safety policies, the issue of child exploitation remains prevalent across various internet platforms.
In a related development, Mark Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of other major platforms including X, Snap, TikTok, and Discord, has been called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding online child sexual exploitation. The hearing is scheduled for January 31st and will focus on finding solutions to this pressing issue.
As the lawsuit against Meta unfolds, it underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to protect vulnerable users, especially children, from falling prey to online sexual exploitation. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the tech industry and its responsibility in ensuring user safety.
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