According to AFP on January 31, Zuckerberg apologized for child protection issues at a congressional hearing.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologized in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, saying, "I'm sorry for what you've been through," the report said. "The U.S. Senate held hearings on the dangers of social networks to children and adolescents, with the heads of Meta (metaverse platform companies), X, TikTok, Discord, Snap and others in attendance.
Standing in front of the victims of the abuse of digital platforms and their families gathered in the halls of the US Congress, the Meta boss admitted that "no one should have to go through what your family is going through".
On this topic, congressmen from both parties in the United States and many associations have reached a consensus that they accuse social networks of not adequately protecting young people, especially to prevent the risk of sexual exploitation or suicide.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, declared to the heads of the companies: "I know you don't think so, but you have blood on your hands." You have a product that kills. ”
Zuckerberg said that since 2016, companies have invested more than $20 billion in security, employing 40,000 people to audit and secure their platforms. "We strive to provide parents and teens with the necessary support and tools to reduce risk," he claimed. Ensuring young people are safe online has been a challenge since the advent of the internet. As criminals change their tactics, so must we change our defenses. ”
The senators cited internal documents from the social giant. The documents show that Zuckerberg refused to step up the team that tests for youth risk. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal believes that "the level of hypocrisy is staggering."
The documents were part of a complaint filed by about 40 U.S. states at the end of October last year. They argue that Meta harms "young people's physical and mental health" and involves risks such as addiction, cyberbullying and eating disorders.
In addition, according to the U.S. consumer news and business channel **January 31**, North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other important social ** company leaders at a Senate hearing today: "If we want to do this, we can put you out of business through regulation." ”
According to the report, advocates of child safety and opposition to Big Tech believe that Senate hearings will help kick-start the regulation of social media companies through proposed bills such as the Prohibition of the Distribution of Child Abuse Materials Act and the Child Safety Act.
Given Meta's large user base, high-profile data privacy breaches, and some recent lawsuits, lawmakers reportedly focused on the company during the hearings. Depending on the outcome, these lawsuits could result in significant penalties for the company. (Compiled by Liu Zhuo, Zhao Feifei).