Meta faces trial after undercover investigation finds illegal content on Facebook and Instagram, company responds

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta is set to face trial next week in New Mexico. The lawsuit alleges that the Mark Zuckerberg-led company knowingly exposed children to sexual exploitation and prioritised corporate profit over the safety of its youngest users. The trial will begin on Monday (February 2) in Santa Fe District Court, is expected to span nearly two months. According to a report by news agency Reuters, the case has been brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, and centres on a 2023 undercover investigation dubbed “Operation MetaPhile.” During the probe, investigators created accounts on both Facebook and Instagram, posing as children under the age of 14. They claim that the accounts were quickly bombarded with sexually explicit material, and were contacted by predators seeking illegal content. According to the Attorney General's office, an operation that has already led to criminal charges against three individuals.The lawsuit also alleges that Meta’s platforms provided “unfettered access” for predators to connect with victims. Furthermore, the state claims that features like infinite scroll and auto-play videos have been intentionally designed to foster addictive behaviour.Meta has denied the allegations, dubbing the arguments as “sensationalist” and based on ‘cherry-picked’ internal documents. “For over a decade, we’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re always working to do better,” the company stated.Meta’s also claims that company is shielded from liability in the case by the free-speech protections of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally bars lawsuits against websites over user-generated content.The evidence in the trial may include claims from a 2021 whistleblower and a previous report revealing an internal policy that once allowed Meta’s AI chatbots to engage in “romantic or sensual” conversations with minors.