source:- iTnews
The U.S. Virgin Islands’ Attorney General has sued Meta Platforms, claiming that the tech giant has knowingly let fraud and harmful content grow on its social media sites to make more money from ads. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix, is aimed at Meta’s management of Facebook and Instagram. It raises serious concerns about the safety of the platforms, consumer protection, and corporate responsibility.
The lawsuit says that Meta has consistently failed to stop scam-related ads while still making money from them. The complaint says that the company knows that fake ads make a lot of money and has chosen not to take strong action because engagement-driven advertising is still a big part of its business model. The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands says that this method has put users at risk of losing money, being lied to, and emotional harm, which is against local laws that protect consumers.
A big part of the lawsuit is based on recent investigative reporting that looked into how Meta rates its own advertising ecosystem. Reports say that the company’s internal projections showed that a large part of its annual revenue would come from ads for scams, illegal gambling, and products that are against the law. The lawsuit also says that Meta’s internal enforcement thresholds are so high that a lot of advertisers who are suspicious stay on the platform unless automated systems are almost sure they are doing something wrong. Because of this, it is said that fraudsters can work for long periods of time before being caught.
U.S. Virgin Islands Sues Meta Over Alleged Profiting
The case has gotten attention from people outside of the Virgin Islands. After the investigation’s results were made public, two U.S. senators publicly asked federal regulators, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, to look into whether Meta’s actions should be punished. Gordon C. Rhea, the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General, called the lawsuit a “landmark step” because it is the first time that a state or territory attorney general has tried to hold Meta legally responsible for what he called widespread fraud on its platforms.
The lawsuit is about more than just financial scams; it also talks about worries about the safety of kids and teens who use the site. It says that Meta gives a false impression of how serious it is about protecting users by not always following its own safety rules. The complaint says that Meta has repeatedly told parents, lawmakers, and the public that safety is its top priority, but it hasn’t done enough to put the safety measures it talks about into action. The lawsuit says that this supposed gap between what the policy says and what actually happens has put both children and adults in danger.
Meta has strongly denied the claims. In response, company spokesperson Andy Stone said that claims that Meta knowingly lets scams happen or doesn’t protect users are not true. He stressed that the company is always working to find and remove fake content, and that reports of scams on Meta’s platforms have reportedly dropped a lot in the last year and a half. Stone also denied claims about the safety of young people, saying that Meta is still dedicated to helping young users and their families.
There have been concerns about Meta’s AI policies before, especially when it comes to how chatbots interact with kids. Earlier reports said that internal rules allowed AI systems to talk to kids in ways that could be seen as romantic or suggestive. Meta changed those rules in response, saying that it had taken out parts that allowed those kinds of interactions and reaffirmed its commitment to making sure that protections are appropriate for each age group.
As the case goes on, U.S. Virgin Islands it will probably spark more debate about whether big tech companies should be responsible for keeping harmful content and ads off their sites. The outcome may also affect how lawmakers and regulators keep an eye on social media companies, especially as worries grow about online fraud, child safety, and how algorithms shape digital experiences. The lawsuit is not only a legal problem for Meta, but it is also a bigger test of trust, openness, and responsibility in a digital world that is becoming more regulated.
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