"New Mexico's case is built on a state undercover investigation using proxy social media accounts and posing as kids to document sexual solicitations and the response from Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. It could give states a new legal pathway to go after social media companies over how their platforms affect children, by using consumer protection and nuisance laws."
"The trial, with opening statements scheduled for Feb. 9, could last nearly two months. Meta denies the civil charges and says prosecutors are taking a sensationalist approach. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was dropped as a defendant in the case, but he has been deposed and documents in the case carry his name. In California, opening arguments are scheduled this week for a personal injury case in Los Angeles County Superior Court that could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out."
New Mexico prosecutors opened a stand-alone trial against Meta, with jury selection starting Monday. The state's case rests on an undercover probe that used proxy social media accounts and agents posing as minors to document sexual solicitations and Meta's responses. Attorney General Raul Torrez filed suit in 2023, alleging Meta created a marketplace enabling predators, failed to disclose known harms, and used algorithms that proliferate addictive, harmful content. A New Mexico victory could establish consumer protection and nuisance-law pathways for states to pursue social media companies. Meta denies the civil claims and calls prosecutors' tactics sensationalist.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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