(WIFR) – Two Senate Judiciary Committee leaders use recent jury verdicts against Meta and Google to push for legislation to protect kids online.
A jury in New Mexico found Meta misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled sexual exploitation of young users, awarding $375 million in damages. Another jury in California found Meta and Google-owned YouTube negligently designed their platforms to be addictive to young users.
Bipartisan bill awaits action
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the two ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced the STOP CSAM Act following the verdicts. The bill, which combats online child sexual abuse material, passed out of committee unanimously and awaits action on the Senate floor.
“Big Tech will not reform on its own. It has shown time and again that if given the choice, it will choose profits over people. But the dam is breaking. Lawsuits like those in New Mexico and California will keep on coming,” Durbin said. “If Big Tech companies are forced to face accountability and liability for the harm they do, they will change their behavior. Congress has to do its part to make that happen.”
Hawley said Big Tech’s profits are coming from the exploitation of children.
“No amount of profit by the Big Tech companies justifies destroying the lives of America’s children,” said Hawley. ”I don’t care how much money they give to their shareholders. It doesn’t justify destroying the lives, the futures, the hopes, and the dreams of our children. Big Tech’s profits are coming from the exploitation of children. And what we’re saying today is we’ve had enough.”
Durbin compares Big Tech to Big Tobacco
Durbin has spent decades as the leading legislative opponent of big tobacco, authoring a 1987 law banning smoking on domestic airline flights, as well as sponsoring the Tobacco Control Act which granted the FDA regulatory authority. Durbin says he sees a lot of similarities between Big Tobacco from nearly 40 years ago and Big Tech today.
After the March 25 California ruling, Meta vowed to appeal the decision. A spokesperson for Meta said the company will continue to defend itself “vigorously” as every case is different and Meta remains confident in it’s record of protecting teens online.
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