Musk takes on Disney for Facebook ads as New Mexico says Meta exploits kids

[LAUREN TAYLOR]
ELON MUSK WANTS DISNEY CEO BOB IGER FIRED … IMMEDIATELY
MUSK’S CALL CAME IN RESPONSE TO POSTS ON X THAT DISNEY IS STILL ADVERTISING ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM EVEN AFTER NEWS BROKE THAT NEW MEXICO IS SUING META FOR ALLEGED CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION. DISNEY, DAYS BEFORE, CUT ADVERTISING TIES WITH MUSK’S PLATFORM AFTER MUSK WAS ACCUSED OF BOOSTING AN ANTISEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORY.
IN A SERIES OF X POSTS MUSK SAID IGER SHOULD BE LET GO IMMEDIATELY, WRITING “BOB EIGER THINKS IT’S COOL TO ADVERTISE NEXT TO CHILD EXPLOITATION MATERIAL. REAL STAND UP GUY.”
JUST LAST WEEK, MUSK ACCUSED IGER OF BLACKMAILING HIM – AFTER DISNEY ANNOUNCED IT WAS PULLING ADVERTISING FROM X.

[ELON MUSK]
Don’t advertise. if someone is trying to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f— yourself. go f— yourself. is that clear? i hope it is. Hi Bob, if you’re in the audience.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

ON TUESDAY – NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL RAUL TORREZ FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST META FOR KNOWINGLY EXPOSING CHILDREN TO THE DANGERS OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND MENTAL HEALTH HARM.
THE CIVIL SUIT – FILED AGAINST META AND IT’S CEO, MARK ZUCKERBERG – CLAIMS INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK ARE A BREEDING GROUND FOR PREDATORS WHO TARGET CHILDREN FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AND ALLOWS ADULTS TO GROOM MINORS INTO PARTICIPATING IN PORNOGRAPHIC CONTENT.
TORREZ’S AGENCY CARRIED OUT A MONTHS-LONG EXTENSIVE UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION OF META – BY CREATING DECOY ACCOUNTS LIKE THE ONES YOU SEE HERE ON META’S PLATFORMS PORTRAYING CHILDREN 14 AND YOUNGER.
THE INVESTIGATION FOUND THESE ACCOUNTS WERE DIRECTED TO A “STREAM OF EGREGIOUS, SEXUALLY EXPLICIT IMAGES – EVEN WHEN THE CHILD EXPRESSED NO INTEREST IN THE CONTENT” AND THAT META RECOMMENDED THESE FAKE CHILD ACCOUNTS TO “JOIN UNMODERATED FACEBOOK GROUPS DEVOTED TO FACILITATING COMMERCIAL SEX.”

INVESTIGATORS ALSO SET UP A DECOY ACCOUNT PORTRAYING A MOTHER – WHO WAS LOOKING TO SOLICIT HER 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER FOR SALE TO SEX TO TRAFFICKERS AND “TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL PAGE TO ALLOW HER DAUGHTER TO SHARE REVENUE FROM ADVERTISING.”

“MR. ZUCKERBERG AND OTHER META EXECUTIVES ARE AWARE OF THE SERIOUS HARM THEIR PRODUCTS CAN POSE TO YOUNG USERS, AND YET THEY HAVE FAILED TO MAKE SUFFICIENT CHANGES TO THEIR PLATFORMS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN” – TORREZ SAID IN A NEWS RELEASE.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]
THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS META FAILED TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL ABUSE, ONLINE SOLICITATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING BECAUSE THE COMPANY “PROFITS FROM ITS EXPOSURE OF YOUNG USERS TO HARMFUL MATERIAL… BY MONETIZING, IN THE FORM OF TARGETED ADVERTISING, THE DATA THAT META GATHERS ABOUT ITS YOUNG USERS AND THEIR USAGE.”
THE LAWSUIT DOES NOT SEEK TO HOLD META LIABLE AS THE PUBLISHER OF THIS MATERIAL – BUT DOES STATE THE PLATFORM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR “DECEPTIVE, UNFAIR, UNCONSCIONABLE, UNREASONABLE, AND UNLAWFUL CONDUCT IN DESIGNING AND MAINTAINING ITS PRODUCTS IN SUCH A MANNER SO AS TO CAUSE KNOWN HARMS TO ITS USERS”
NEW MEXICO’S ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS THE STATE WILL BE INVESTIGATING OTHER COMPANIES
ZUCKERBERG IS SET TO TESTIFY IN FRONT OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ON CHILD SAFETY NEXT MONTH.