Undercover investigations on Facebook and Instagram: Fine imposed on Meta
New Mexico investigated undercover on Facebook and Instagram regarding youth protection, the results are disturbing. Now a jury has imposed a fine.
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Meta has been fined 375 million US dollars by a jury in the US state of New Mexico because the Facebook and Instagram group is said to have knowingly endangered children's health. This is reported by the news agency AP, adding that Meta is said to have concealed what was known internally about child welfare endangerment on its platforms. The legal defeat is the prelude to a whole series of decisions on allegations concerning child and youth protection. According to AP, Meta has stated that it disagrees with the decision and intends to appeal. However, whether the company will also be obliged to change its practices will only be decided after a second part of the proceedings, which is scheduled for May 2026.
Disturbing examples
The lawsuit in New Mexico was filed in 2023 (case number D-101-CV-2023-02838), and the state's Attorney General, RaĂşl Torrez, is responsible. His team had been secretly investigating on Facebook and Instagram for months beforehand. For this purpose, accounts were created that allegedly belonged to minors aged 14 and younger. These were then actively bombarded with offensive, sexual content, according to the accusation. The supposed minors were even invited to join unmoderated groups that serve to facilitate sex work. Furthermore, the platforms had enabled dozens of adults to find and contact children and pressure them into creating sexual recordings of themselves or participating in pornographic videos.
A profile created by the undercover investigators allegedly belonged to the mother of a 13-year-old; it was explained when the lawsuit was filed. She had shared a picture there showing tattoos in the mouth of the supposed daughter – according to the lawsuit, a sign that the tattooed person “belonged” to a pimp. In just three days, the profile attracted more than 3000 followers and 5000 Facebook friends – the maximum. No measures were used to promote the profile. The profile of the supposed daughter experienced a similar situation but then regularly received genital images without this being prevented.
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The lawsuit, which is more than 200 pages long, lists numerous other case examples, with many unambiguous screenshots. The New Mexico Attorney General's Office stated at the time that it had omitted the worst images. Regarding Instagram, there was also talk of a platform full of child pornography and the arrangement of relevant “business” contacts, without effective countermeasures being provided. Meta's algorithms, on the other hand, are said to actively support the scene. In addition, there were allegations that the design of the platforms promoted addictive behavior in young people. According to AP, the jury estimated the number of affected individuals to be lower than the Attorney General's Office but imposed the maximum penalty per violation.
(mho)
