Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, is facing a new trial in New Mexico for allegedly failing to protect minors from exploitation on its platforms. The case, which has been ongoing for over two years, centers around Meta's alleged failure to implement effective safeguards against child sexual abuse and exploitation on its social media sites.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accuses Meta of violating the state's Unfair Practices Act by implementing design features and algorithms that create a hazardous environment for users. The lawsuit claims that Meta knowingly allowed explicit content to be shared among underage users, enabled adults to exploit children on the platform, and failed to adequately address concerns from law enforcement about child predators using social media.
The trial is expected to take place over seven weeks, with a jury of 10 women and eight men set to hear the case. The New Mexico Department of Justice has been actively working on the investigation for over two years and will present evidence they have gathered during this time.
Meta has vigorously defended itself against the allegations, submitting numerous motions in limine that aim to limit or exclude certain information from the trial. However, Meta's attempts to block references to mental health harms, AI chatbots, and third-party surveys have been largely unsuccessful.
The outcome of the trial is significant for Meta, as it could set a precedent for social media companies' obligations to protect minors on their platforms. The case may also shed light on the company's inner workings and its policies around underage users, potentially revealing more about how Meta addresses concerns from law enforcement and regulates content on its platforms.
Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, believes that this trial represents a crucial moment for Big Tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg to be held accountable. "These are the trials of a generation," she said in an emailed statement. "Just as the world watched courtrooms hold Big Tobacco and Big Pharma accountable, we will, for the first time, see Big Tech CEOs like Zuckerberg take the stand."
The state's lawsuit seeks civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation of the Unfair Practices Act, which could potentially result in hundreds of millions of dollars in fines. Attorney General Torrez has also asked Meta executives, including Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, to implement significant changes to their platforms, including more effective age verification, removing bad actors from the platform, and addressing harmful algorithms that proactively serve dangerous content.
As the trial unfolds, observers will be watching for how Meta presents its case and whether it can successfully defend itself against the allegations. The outcome of this trial could have far-reaching implications for social media companies and their obligations to protect minors on their platforms.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accuses Meta of violating the state's Unfair Practices Act by implementing design features and algorithms that create a hazardous environment for users. The lawsuit claims that Meta knowingly allowed explicit content to be shared among underage users, enabled adults to exploit children on the platform, and failed to adequately address concerns from law enforcement about child predators using social media.
The trial is expected to take place over seven weeks, with a jury of 10 women and eight men set to hear the case. The New Mexico Department of Justice has been actively working on the investigation for over two years and will present evidence they have gathered during this time.
Meta has vigorously defended itself against the allegations, submitting numerous motions in limine that aim to limit or exclude certain information from the trial. However, Meta's attempts to block references to mental health harms, AI chatbots, and third-party surveys have been largely unsuccessful.
The outcome of the trial is significant for Meta, as it could set a precedent for social media companies' obligations to protect minors on their platforms. The case may also shed light on the company's inner workings and its policies around underage users, potentially revealing more about how Meta addresses concerns from law enforcement and regulates content on its platforms.
Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, believes that this trial represents a crucial moment for Big Tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg to be held accountable. "These are the trials of a generation," she said in an emailed statement. "Just as the world watched courtrooms hold Big Tobacco and Big Pharma accountable, we will, for the first time, see Big Tech CEOs like Zuckerberg take the stand."
The state's lawsuit seeks civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation of the Unfair Practices Act, which could potentially result in hundreds of millions of dollars in fines. Attorney General Torrez has also asked Meta executives, including Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, to implement significant changes to their platforms, including more effective age verification, removing bad actors from the platform, and addressing harmful algorithms that proactively serve dangerous content.
As the trial unfolds, observers will be watching for how Meta presents its case and whether it can successfully defend itself against the allegations. The outcome of this trial could have far-reaching implications for social media companies and their obligations to protect minors on their platforms.
, Meta's been getting roasted for ages over this stuff! I'm all for 'em trying to make a buck, but come on, protecting minors is like, super basic 
. Can't believe they're fighting it so hard. Mark Zuckerberg's gonna have to spill the tea about how he lets his platforms get exploited 
. The outcome of this trial could be HUGE for all social media companies - if Meta gets held accountable, others will be too 
. It's time Big Tech CEOs took responsibility for their actions 
... like, how hard is it to keep minors safe online? It's not rocket science... Meta needs to step up its game 
.
. Like, we've been complaining about these guys for years and nothing's ever really changed 
. This trial could be a major turning point... fingers crossed it goes in Meta's favor 
. The whole point of social media companies having "age restrictions" is for a reason, you know? They need to be held accountable for this stuff 
Like, I remember when I was in high school (back in my day...), we didn't have all these new-fangled social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. And you know what? We were still just kids with no idea how to use 'em! 
It's like they're just rollin' the dice and hopin' no one gets hurt.
. I'm really worried about what's going on with Meta and how they're handling these allegations. It seems like they knew or should've known that there were predators using their platform to exploit kids. If they did, why didn't they do more to stop it?
It's not like they're trying or anything. And the fact that they're trying to block references to mental health harms and AI chatbots is just ridiculous 
... I mean, if you're exploiting kids on your platform, then own up to it! Don't try to hide behind fancy lawyers and PR spin 
.
That's forever in internet time. And now they're just trying to sweep it under the rug because they don't wanna get held accountable 
... But seriously, if this trial goes through and Meta gets fined hundreds of millions of dollars, that's gonna set a major precedent for social media companies 
. Like, what are the actual consequences gonna be here? Are they just gonna tweak their platforms and pretend everything is okay? 
.
. It's like they're doing everything in reverse – instead of shielding users from explicit content, they just let it spread and hope for the best 
it feels like they're just too big to care about the harm they might be causing, but i guess that's not true anymore? 
the fact that they're trying to limit what can be said in court is really shady though 
shouldn't they just own up to their mistakes and try to fix them? 
. We need more accountability from these big tech CEOs who are basically running our lives behind the scenes.
. We need to be protecting our kids online, not letting them get exploited by big tech companies. This trial is going to be so important, we'll finally see what all the fuss is about... and maybe, just maybe, some real change will come out of it 
. The fact that they're trying to limit what can be shown in court is just another example of how out of touch they are with the real world 
. It's about time some Big Tech CEO gets taken down a peg 
.
. But at the same time, you can't deny that social media companies have got to do better when it comes to protecting kids on their platforms. I mean, we're living in an era where predators and abusers are finding new ways to exploit young people online all the time 
. Mark Zuckerberg's going to have to answer for this in court, and I think that's a good thing. He needs to be held accountable for the role that Meta plays in enabling or preventing these kinds of problems 
.
This is getting outta hand 
One day we're all just chillin' on Facebook 
, scrollin' through our feeds 
, the next we're talkin' about child exploitation 
. Meta needs to step up its game 
and get those safeguards in place 
ASAP! They can't just sit back and let this happen 
. I hope the trial exposes some serious weaknesses 
and hold CEOs accountable 
