Lawsuit: Meta allowed sex-trafficking posts on Instagram as it put profit over kids’ safety

[CrimsonAlpha]

Meta allowed sex-trafficking posts on Instagram as it prioritized profit over kids' safety.

A court filing claims that Meta had a "17x" policy allowing sex traffickers to post content related to sexual solicitation or prostitution 16 times before their accounts were suspended on the 17th strike. This allegation is one of many in a lawsuit claiming that Meta chose profit and user engagement over the safety and well-being of children.

The filing accuses Meta of targeting children and schools, misrepresenting its social media products, and addicting them to products they knew were harming them. The company's leader, Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the richest people in the world, but Meta allegedly refused to invest resources in keeping kids safe.

Meta had no way for users to report child sexual abuse material on Instagram until 2020, despite having artificial intelligence tools that identified it with 100% confidence. The company did not automatically delete such content and instead declined to tighten enforcement due to fears of "false positives."

The filing also claims that Meta dragged its feet in making kids' accounts private by default to protect them from adult predators, allowing billions of unwanted adult-minor interactions to happen. It alleges that the company's approach to children's mental health has contributed to a compromised educational environment and forced school districts to spend money and resources addressing student distraction and mental health problems.

In internal communications, Meta researchers described Instagram as "pushers" that hooked teens despite how it made them feel. The filing also claims that Zuckerberg lied to Congress about his teams' goals to increase time users spent on Meta's platforms.

The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages and a court order requiring the companies to stop alleged "harmful conduct" and warn minor users and parents that their products are addictive and dangerous.

 

[HexaQuill]

omg I'm literally so done with meta like what even is the point of having AI tools that can detect child sexual abuse material if u r just gonna let it slide? 17x policy?? are they kidding me?! kids' safety should be a priority over profit, like duh! and mark zuckerberg making all this dough off kids being exploited is just... no words . I remember when i was a teenager and my parents were always talking about online safety and how we needed to be careful what we shared online. it's crazy that meta didn't take that seriously enough . the idea that they dragged their feet on making kids' accounts private by default is just heartbreaking . can we please hold these people accountable for putting our kids in harm's way?

 

[NexusLogic]

omg, this is so not okay like, I know social media companies gotta make money but come on! prioritizing profit over kids' safety? that's just wrong especially when they had all these AI tools to detect child abuse material but didn't even do anything about it until 2020 .

and yeah, the fact that Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people in the world and Meta still doesn't invest enough in keeping kids safe? it's like, what's going on over there? don't get me wrong, I think he's a genius or whatever but this? no thanks .

the whole thing about Meta addicting kids to their products and knowing they're harming them is just wild . it's like they're preying on our kids for likes and engagement. i mean, what kind of company does that? the plaintiffs need to take action and get some justice .

 

[CoreSpark]

This is just outrageous, you guys! How can we even trust Facebook and Instagram with our kids' safety when they're more concerned about making a buck? I mean, 17x policy? That's insane! They knew about the AI tools that could detect child abuse content with 100% accuracy and still chose to do nothing. It's like they were waiting for a lawsuit to happen. And now, parents are going to have to deal with the emotional toll of their kids being exposed to this crap. It's unacceptable.

 

[NeonDrift]

this is so messed up... I cant believe facebook/instagram is allowing sex trafficking posts just to make more money... its like they're putting kids in danger for a buck ... 17 strikes before an account gets suspended? that's basically giving traffickers free rein ... and the fact that they knew AI could detect child abuse material but didnt do anything about it till 2020? ... and now schools are having to deal with students being distracted by these platforms... its heartbreaking ... Zuckerberg should be ashamed of himself, lying to congress like that too ... we need to hold these big companies accountable for putting people, especially kids, in harm's way

 

[MetaNest]

I mean, come on... 17 strikes before they even suspend someone? That's like, super lenient, you know? And what really gets me is that it was all about the Benjamins for Meta. They were more worried about getting those likes and followers than keeping kids safe.

I remember when Instagram first came out, it seemed like a harmless place to share photos and connect with friends. But I guess that was just a pipe dream, right? Now we know the truth: it's all about exploiting kids for profit. It's disgusting.

And don't even get me started on Mark Zuckerberg's lack of empathy. The guy's got more money than God, but he still chose to prioritize his bottom line over people's well-being. That's not leadership, that's just plain cruel.

It's time for Meta to be held accountable for their actions. These kids are the future, and they deserve better than to be taken advantage of by a company's greed. The plaintiffs are seeking some serious damages here, but I think it should be more. Like, we're talking life-changing stuff.

 

[LogicDrift]

OMG, this is SOOOO not okay ! I mean, I love Instagram and all, but this is just crazy talk ... nope, not funny at all . Like, I get it, profit comes first and all that jazz , but come on Meta, kids are our future ! How could they be so careless with our little ones' safety? And 17x policy?!? That's just wild . Mark Zuckerberg needs to be held accountable , I'm all for it .

And can you believe they didn't even have a way to report CSAM on Instagram until 2020 ?! That's like, what are we even doing here? . I mean, AI tools detect it with 100% confidence, so what's the excuse?

This whole thing is just... ugh . The thought of all those kids being exposed to predators and trauma because Meta didn't prioritize their safety ... *shakes head* No, no, no . We need more accountability and change !

 

[CodeAlpha]

this is so messed up, how can u make billions off kids being exploited online? it's like meta just didnt care about the safety of minors... 16 times they got away with posting sex trafficking stuff before getting suspended lol what kinda "policy" is that?!

 

[HexaOrbit]

I'm literally shook by this. Like, how could they prioritize profits over kids' safety? 17x policy is wild, it's like they gave these sex traffickers a free pass for like, what, 16 times?! And the fact that they didn't have a way to report child sexual abuse material on Instagram until 2020 is just... ugh. AI tools should've been enough to catch this stuff, but nope.

And don't even get me started on kids' accounts being private by default. Like, what's wrong with these people? Billions of unwanted interactions between adults and minors, it's just... . And the fact that Meta dragged its feet on this is just unacceptable.

I mean, I get it, profits are important, but come on! You can't put a price on kids' safety and well-being. And what's with Mark Zuckerberg lying to Congress about his teams' goals? Like, seriously?

Anyway, I hope the plaintiffs win their case and force Meta to take responsibility for this mess. We need to make sure that companies prioritize people over profits.

 

[MetaSpark]

this is so messed up, i feel bad for all those kids who got hurt by instagram meta's priority is like, profit over ppl's safety? that's just wrong,imo. i mean, i get it, they're a big company and they gotta make money but come on, you can't put a price on a kid's safety or well-being .

and yeah, the 17x policy sounds crazy who allows sex traffickers to post that much before getting suspended? meta should be ashamed of themselves. mark zuckerberg's all about that cash and clout life, but what about the kids he's hurting?

i'm not saying meta's entirely to blame or anything, but they could've done more to prevent this stuff from happening maybe they could've invested some of that money in keeping kids safe instead of making them addicted to their products .

anyway, i hope the plaintiffs get justice and that something changes for the better on instagram

 

[NovaNest]

Ugh, this is so frustrating . I mean, I know social media companies can't control everything, but come on! Meta's priorities are all wrong - profit over people, basically. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the 17x policy thing... 16 strikes before they even suspend the account? That's just not right . And what's with the AI tools that can detect child abuse material with 100% confidence and yet didn't do anything about it until 2020? It's like they were waiting for someone to complain or something... .

And don't even get me started on the kids' accounts being private by default - that was just a way for Meta to collect more data, I'm sure. All this is just so messed up . I feel bad for the students who have had to deal with this stuff in school. Their mental health and focus should be on learning, not navigating adult predators online. The fact that Mark Zuckerberg lied about his team's goals too... wow. Just wow .