Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million
Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez won a historic sum of $375 million in a landmark child safety case against Meta earlier this year. But the next stage of the fight could be even more consequential for Meta and the social media industry at large. Beginning Monday, attorneys for Meta and New Mexico will return […]

Meta threatens to pull its apps from New Mexico if forced to make ‘technologically impractical’ changes
Meta threatens to pull its apps from New Mexico if forced to make ‘technologically impractical’ changes

Meta says it may be forced to pull Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp from New Mexico if the attorney general gets his way. The state is demanding a host of changes that the company says are impossible to achieve. After winning a $375 million jury award against Meta in a trial that argued the company misled […]

Former FCC staffers agree: Brendan Carr needs to be stopped
Former FCC staffers agree: Brendan Carr needs to be stopped

Several former Federal Communications Commissioners and staffers across parties are urging a federal appeals court to force a vote on the FCC’s news distortion policy, which they argue should be repealed after being abused by Republican Chair Brendan Carr. On Tuesday, a group of petitioners asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of […]

Age verification is a mess but we’re doing it anyway
Age verification is a mess but we’re doing it anyway

In the span of a few years, age verification went from an idea to standard practice on large parts of the internet. Seeking to prevent kids from accessing porn, other inappropriate content, or social media altogether, laws mandating age-gating have spread rapidly across the globe, reaching the UK, the US, Australia, France, Brazil, and many […]

Wisconsin governor says ‘no’ to age checks for porn
Wisconsin governor says ‘no’ to age checks for porn

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would’ve required residents to verify their age before accessing porn sites, as reported earlier by 404 Media. In a letter to the members of the assembly last week, Evers writes that the bill “imposes an intrusive burden on adults who are trying to access constitutionally protected materials.” […]

Meta’s legal defeat could be a victory for children, or a loss for everyone
Meta’s legal defeat could be a victory for children, or a loss for everyone

Is social media not just bad, but illegally bad? Should tech companies pay for making it that way? According to two US juries – and no shortage of outside commentary – the answer to both questions is “yes.” Earlier this week, two juries – one in New Mexico, one in Los Angeles – held Meta […]

Brendan Carr says his broadcast license threat wasn’t really about Iran war coverage
Brendan Carr says his broadcast license threat wasn’t really about Iran war coverage

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr never meant to threaten broadcast licenses over their coverage of the war in Iran, he told reporters after an event hosted by FGS and Semafor. “My comments weren’t actually on the Iran war,” Carr said in response to a question from The Verge about his statement regarding coverage of […]

Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case
Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction case

The jury in a landmark trial testing claims about social media addiction against Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube determined that the two companies failed to warn users about the risks of using their products. The jury found the companies’ negligence was a substantial factor in harms like the mental health issues sustained by a now […]

Meta misled users about its products’ safety, jury decides
Meta misled users about its products’ safety, jury decides

Meta willfully violated New Mexico law by misleading users about the safety of its products and engaging in an unconscionable trade practice, a jury found. The company will face a $375 million penalty for the violations, awarding the maximum penalty of $5,000 per violation for 37,500 violations across two counts. The jury decided against Meta […]

Meta’s reckoning over kids safety is in the hands of two juries
Meta’s reckoning over kids safety is in the hands of two juries

Two juries are currently deliberating a series of cases that could either usher in a legal reckoning for Meta, or maintain the status quo in an uphill battle to impose changes or penalties on tech platforms in court. Yesterday, a New Mexico jury heard closing arguments in a trial where Meta is accused of facilitating […]