The Lanier Law Firm lead attorney Mark Lanier joins Varney & Co. to discuss the social media addiction trial verdict against Meta and Google, comparing it to tobacco litigation.
Tech giant Meta is threatening to cut off access to its social media platforms in New Mexico as a response to the state’s legal effort to compel changes to child safety protocols on the platform.
Meta and the state of New Mexico are expected to proceed to the second stage of their trial next week after a jury recently issued a $375 million award to the state after finding that the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and protections for children against sexual predators.
The next phase of the trial will concern what actions the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp must take to address those issues.
Among the remedies New Mexico is seeking is to impose a requirement that Meta meet a 99% accuracy threshold in verifying that children on its platform are at least 13 years old. Meta has pushed back on that requirement, arguing in a court filing that it’s unfeasible and would require it to “comply with impossible obligations.”
META VOWS APPEAL OF ‘LANDMARK’ SOCIAL MEDIA VERDICTS, WARNS OF FREE SPEECH EROSION
Meta is warning that it may be forced to pull its apps from New Mexico if the state prevails in requiring the social media giant to implement certain safeguards. (Arda Kucukkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meta’s legal team said in a filing that New Mexico’s “requests for relief are so broad and so burdensome, that if implemented it might force Meta to withdraw its apps entirely from the State of New Mexico as an alternative way of complying with the injunction.”
“It does not make economic or engineering sense for Meta to build separate apps just for New Mexico residents,” Meta’s lawyers added. “Nor could Meta guarantee the perfection the State demands, making it impractical for Meta to operate in New Mexico.”
EXPERT WARNS OF MASSIVE RECKONING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES: ‘GIANT CASE OF KARMA’
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| META | META PLATFORMS INC. | 611.91 | -57.21 | -8.55% |
The company has argued that it’s being unfairly singled out in comparison to other social media platforms that are popular with young people. It also previously signaled it will appeal the $375 million civil judgment against it.
New Mexico pushed back on Meta’s assertion that it would be impractical to comply with the safeguards it’s seeking for social media apps.
META ORDERED TO PAY $375M AFTER JURY FINDS PLATFORM ENABLED CHILD PREDATORS IN LANDMARK NEW MEXICO CASE
Meta is the parent company of apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
“Meta is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,” said New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “Meta’s refusal to follow the laws that protect our kids tells you everything you need to know about this company and the character of its leaders.”Â
“We know Meta has the ability to make these changes. For years the company has rewritten its own rules, redesigned its products, and even bent to the demands of dictators to preserve market access. This is not about technological capability. Meta simply refuses to place the safety of children ahead of engagement, advertising revenue, and profit,” Torrez added.
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New Mexico is also seeking that Meta implement safer recommendation algorithms that don’t prioritize engagement over child well-being, restrictions on end-to-end encryption for minors, prominent warning labels about the platform’s risks, permanent bans for adults engaging in or facilitating the exploitation of children, and an independent oversight regime through a court-appointed child safety monitor.
