A US judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million in penalties, bringing the company's total financial liability in a state-led child safety case to $942 million. Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the ruling after determining that the social media giant’s platforms act as a "public nuisance," drawing a comparison between the company's content algorithms and industrial pollution.
The court found that Meta's recommendation tools effectively steered young users toward harmful content and sexual predators. Under the new order, the funds must be directed toward a program aimed at mitigating societal harms, including the provision of behavioral health services and professional training for educators and healthcare workers. Furthermore, the judge mandated strict operational changes, such as prohibiting adults from messaging minors, removing "like" counts for users under 18, and implementing daily usage limits and nighttime notification curfews for younger accounts.
Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, has confirmed it will appeal the decision. A company spokesperson stated that the firm disagrees with the ruling and maintains that it is committed to protecting teens while navigating the complexities of content moderation.
This judgment follows a previous $375 million fine in the same case and represents the first instance of a social media company being legally classified as a public nuisance. While the fine is significant, industry analysts note that it remains a small fraction of Meta's quarterly revenue. The company currently faces thousands of additional lawsuits across the United States regarding its impact on child safety and platform addiction.
Source: BBC News
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