Now Reading: US judge orders Meta to pay $567m over child safety failures
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US judge orders Meta to pay $567m over child safety failures
A US judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million in a New Mexico child safety case, ruling that Instagram and Facebook exposed children to harmful content and sexual exploitation. Judge Bryan…
The Story in Brief
A US judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million in a New Mexico child safety case, ruling that Instagram and Facebook exposed children to harmful content and sexual exploitation. Judge Bryan Biedscheid described Meta as a 'public nuisance', comparing the harm to pollution from a factory. The money will fund treatment and prevention programmes, with $420 million allocated for behavioural-health initiatives.
The ruling adds to legal pressure on Meta, which faces thousands of US lawsuits over alleged harms to children. Meta rejected the decision and plans to appeal. In India, the electronics ministry earlier ordered Instagram to disable ads promoting child sexual abuse material. Meta acknowledged some offending ads were removed but denied knowingly targeting users based on inappropriate interests.
The Indian Opinion
The American ruling casts a long shadow over Meta's India operations. The company's defence that its systems already catch harmful content rings hollow after a judge called its platforms a public nuisance, akin to a polluting factory. India's own ministry has already flagged issues with ad policies. The real test will be whether Meta enforces the same child safety measures voluntarily here that an American court had to compel abroad, or waits for New Delhi to act.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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