The New Mexico attorney general has declared that Facebook and Instagram have become a "breeding ground" for child predators in a lawsuit.
Raul Torrez declared that his office had created simulated accounts which had received explicit images and invitations.
He requested that the court mandate the company to enact modifications so as to secure its least experienced users, asserting that it has "declined" to perform so willingly.
Meta declared that it had made strenuous efforts to keep predators away.
But New Mexico reported that its investigations exposed how child exploitation material was "ten times" more common on Facebook and Instagram, compared with sites like Pornhub and OnlyFans.
State investigators discovered that some groups and accounts were distributing child pornography, but the company did not take any action, according to the filing.
"The findings of our probe into Meta's social media reveal that it is not an environment where children are safeguarded from harm; in fact, it is where pedophiles share child pornography and try to groom minors for sexual activity," remarked Attorney General Torrez.
Companies in the US are safeguarded from any legal repercussions of material published on their websites.
The New Mexico lawsuit, however, asserted that the suggestions given by Meta's software meant that it was not acting solely as a publisher.
The lawsuit indicated that Facebook and Instagram are not merely displaying content created by other people.
Instead, Meta's algorithms function to seek out and transmit sexually exploitative or explicit materials, developing an online community of individuals purchasing and trading the photographs, as well as the unfortunate victims of the child exploitation that drives the activity.
The lawsuit, brought forth in state court, alleges that Meta has misled young users and their families regarding the safety of the platform, thus violating legal barriers against such deceptive activities, and constructed a product that could prove to be dangerous to public health and safety.
The lawsuit stated that, in essence, Meta has made Facebook and Instagram a marketplace where predators can look for children to use as victims.
The lawsuit specifically mentions Mark Zuckerberg as a defendant, claiming he "took control" and refused to make modifications or put resources into making the platform safer for children, despite stating otherwise to the public.
The lawsuit stated that, despite his public promise to ensure Meta protected children, he privately asked for and carried out a different plan.
The company issued a response to the New Mexico reports which proclaimed that "Child exploitation is an appalling offense and cyber criminals are determined and relentless."
We employ cutting-edge technology, employ specialists in child safety, relay information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and cooperate with other businesses and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help eliminate predators.
Meta is being confronted with an increasing number of legal disputes in America concerning how it deals with its underage users.
A lawsuit was brought against the company in October by many US states, claiming that the company had a part in increasing youth mental health problems and had not been honest about the potential dangers of interacting on social media.
Legal action has been brought by hundreds of families, claiming the platforms are detrimentally designed.
This month, European Union regulators sought additional information regarding the actions taken by the firm to safeguard children from exploitation.
In June, Meta set up a task force due to apprehensions about the use of its platforms for child exploitation.
The company declared that it had increased the quantity of terms it watches and developed new technology to detect perpetrators, in addition to other measures.
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