New Mexico's attorney general is suing Mark Zuckerberg and others over what he says are the social media platforms' failure to protect minors from child pornography.
The lawsuit filed against Meta Platforms Inc.
also names the Facebook CEO as a defendant, the AP reports.
New Mexico's lawsuit follows an undercover investigation in which state prosecutors created decoy accounts of children 14 and younger and allege that Meta let dozens of adults find, contact, and encourage children to provide sexually explicit and pornographic images.
The accounts also received recommendations to join unmoderated Facebook groups devoted to facilitating commercial sex, investigators said, adding that Meta also let its users find, share, and sell "an enormous volume of child pornography."
"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," Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a statement, accusing Meta's executives of prioritizing "engagement and ad revenue over the safety of the most vulnerable members of our society."
Meta said in a statement that it works hard to protect young users.
"We use sophisticated technology, hire child safety experts, report content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and share
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.