Trouble for Meta, the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp company. A judge in the US state of New Mexico has ordered the giant to pay 567 million dollars to a fund to compensate minors for the damage caused by its platforms, deemed responsible for “disturbing public order”.
This is an unprecedented case in the United States for a social network. This sum, intended to fund mental health and prevention programs for youth over five years, is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties imposed in March by a jury in Santa Fe, the state capital, which found Meta guilty of failing to protect underage users. Meta speaks of “misrepresented facts” and announces an appeal.
The lawsuit in Meta
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez sued Meta, alleging the company failed to protect minors from online dangers. During closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Singer told the jury that Meta’s algorithms had directed adults to content posted by teenage users, while the company had hidden the results of internal investigations into risks to youth.
In addition to paying the fine, the company will have to adopt specific features, such as the default setting that hides the number of “likes” on photos of underage users. There are also limitations on push notifications for users under 18.
“This case has always been about protecting minors, defending families and ensuring that one of the largest technology companies in the world cannot profit from practices that put young people at risk without consequences,” Torrez said, explaining that about three-quarters of the fine will go “to mental health treatment and will be paid out over five years.” The remaining sum will be divided between awareness and evaluation programs.
The reply
“We do not agree with the sentence and we will appeal,” Meta told AFP. The giant reiterates its commitment “to guarantee the safety of users on our platforms. We have always been transparent about the difficulties in identifying and removing malicious users and harmful content”.