You May Have Heard About this Court Settlement by Meta

 

David Horsey in The Seattle Times gives this story a good wrap-up (including talking about those Meta AI glasses).

Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s other platforms were intentionally designed to hook users through algorithms that invade their brains and keep them scrolling for hours at a time. This addictive design was found to have caused harm to children in a case brought in New Mexico where Meta was ordered to pay a $942 million penalty. 

Meta has now been hit with a far bigger penalty in a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general who sought to punish Meta for flagrantly disregarding the health and safety of teenagers. 

 

Numerous ex-Meta employees were ready to testify that the company was eager to turn teens into screen addicts, which may be why Zuckerberg chose to settle the case and pay a whopping $18 billion fine. (Washington state will receive $237 million in a landmark legal settlement.) 

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health,” 

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement announcing the deal with Meta. The settlement “will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.” 

After years of Zuckerberg pleading that his intentions were virtuous, it is now easier than ever to believe that, from the time he dreamed up the idea for Facebook as a college student, Zuckerberg’s primary motivation was to make a mountain of money, and anything that got in the way of that goal was cast aside — including safeguards for the minds and emotional health of young people.