2023-12-06 21:33:09
SANTA FE, N.M. (TND) — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued tech giant Meta, along with its subsidiaries and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Tuesday in an effort to protect children who are victims of sex trafficking.
In a press release on the suitTorrez said an investigation by his office revealed Meta’s platforms repeatedly prey on younger users. Some of Meta’s platforms include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
“Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex,” Torrez wrote. “As a career prosecutor who specialized in internet crimes once morest children, I am committed to using every available tool to put an end to these horrific practices and I will hold companies — and their executives — accountable whenever they put profits ahead of children’s safety.”
Torrez said his office conducted an “undercover investigation” of Meta platforms by creating fake accounts for 14-year-old children. This, he claims, allowed it to uncover evidence that the platforms connect children to sexual content and predators.
READ MORE | Meta challenges federal ruling preventing monetization of child user data
“Mr. Zuckerberg and other Meta executives are aware of the serious harm their products can pose to young users, and yet they have failed to make sufficient changes to their platforms that would prevent the sexual exploitation of children,” Torrez added. “Despite repeated assurances to Congress and the public that they can be trusted to police themselves, it is clear that Meta’s executives continue to prioritize engagement and ad revenue over the safety of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
A spokesperson for Meta told The National Desk (TND) the company takes substantial actions to prevent the abuse of children on its sites.
“Child exploitation is a horrific crime and online predators are determined criminals,” the spokesperson said. “We use sophisticated technology, hire child safety experts, report content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and share information and tools with other companies and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help root out predators. In one month alone, we disabled more than half a million accounts for violating our child safety policies.”
Meta also shared an extensive statement from last week detailing its work to keep children safe. The tech service says it works diligently with law enforcement to find and remove predators.
“In addition to developing technology that roots out predators, we hire specialists dedicated to online child safety and we share information with our industry peers and law enforcement,” Meta wrote.
READ MORE | 200 school districts suing social media giants over student mental health concerns
In November, Meta challenged the Federal Trade Commission, alleging its in-house courts allowed it to act as both prosecutor and judge when it ruled the company might not monetize the data of users under 18. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., lambasted the company, saying it is serving its own interests rather than those of its users.
“Meta has time and once more chosen profits over privacy and knowingly endangered the mental health of children and teens,” Sen. Markey said. “This lawsuit is their latest distraction. We need to pass COPPA 2.0 and protect children and teens’ privacy online.”
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