tech
New Mexico's attorney general pushes new social media safety laws after $900m court victory over Meta
Exclusive: Raúl Torrez is drafting two bills with state lawmakers to bolster consumer protections and child safety online, building on state’s landmark case against Meta
TL;DR
- New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is drafting two new bills to enhance consumer protections and child safety online.
- These proposed laws build on a recent court victory against Meta, which was fined nearly $1bn for misleading users about platform safety and enabling harm, including child sexual exploitation.
- The legislation will extend beyond social media to encompass emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and chatbots.
- Torrez is also pursuing separate lawsuits against Meta and an AI company over its chatbot's interaction with children.
- Meta has stated it has strict rules against child exploitation and has invested in detection technology and safety features, but disagrees with the recent ruling and plans to appeal.
- The New Mexico case has generated interest from other states and entities looking to replicate similar legal actions against tech companies.
- Torrez believes federal legislation is ultimately needed but emphasizes states cannot wait for Congress to act due to perceived lobbying by big tech.