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Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial
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- DeepHorus
In a landmark trial that could reshape the future of social media, attorneys for the state of California have laid out a stark four-word strategy allegedly used by Meta to build its empire: hook, hold, harvest, and hide. During opening statements in Oakland, California, prosecutor Megan O’Neill argued that Meta’s core business model relies on addictively "hooking" users, "holding" their attention for as long as possible to maximize engagement, "harvesting" vast amounts of their personal data, and then "hiding" the truth about the associated harms from the public. This accusation sets the stage for a blockbuster trial brought by California and 28 other U.S. states against the £1.36 trillion tech giant.
The lawsuit, which began this week, represents a significant escalation in the ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech's impact on young users. The states allege that Meta systematically violated U.S. federal child privacy laws and state-level consumer protection statutes by designing addictive products and collecting data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission. The case is being closely watched as it consolidates numerous smaller lawsuits and could establish critical legal precedents for holding social media companies accountable for youth mental health issues.
At the heart of the prosecution's case is testimony from former employees, including Arturo Béjar, a former safety engineer at Meta. Béjar, who worked at the company in two stints between 2009 and 2021, testified that his concern was personal, stemming from his own teenage daughter’s experience of receiving unwanted sexual advances and misogynistic insults on Instagram. He stated that his daughter found reporting these abuses through Meta's official channels to be ineffective, and he described the company's overall approach as a "don't ask, don't tell" strategy regarding child safety.
The potential consequences for Meta are existential. If found liable, the company could face damages as high as $200 billion—a figure roughly equivalent to its projected 2025 annual revenue. Furthermore, the states are seeking to force Meta to fundamentally redesign its platforms to make them safer for children, a mandate that could permanently alter its core business model and how its social media platforms operate globally. The jury in this trial is advisory, meaning its recommendations will guide Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in delivering the final verdict.
Meta has firmly denied all allegations, with spokesperson Liza Crenshaw dismissing the lawsuit as an attempt to secure an "outlandish payout." During opening arguments, Meta's attorney Paul Schmidt acknowledged that people can struggle with social media but emphasized the tools the company has developed to address such issues. He reiterated that Meta prohibits users under 13 from registering and has disabled over one million accounts belonging to minors.
This trial follows two recent legal defeats for Meta, which add significant pressure. In March, the company was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to the state of New Mexico for allowing child sexual exploitation on its platforms. In a separate case, it was found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that harmed a young woman and was ordered to pay her over $4 million. These losses underscore a growing judicial willingness to scrutinize social media design features and their potential for harm.
The proceedings are expected to last six to eight weeks and will feature testimony from high-profile figures, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. The case is being led by a coalition of state attorneys from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, and the outcome will be closely monitored by families, school districts, and other regulators across the country.
This lawsuit fits into a much broader global trend of confronting the power of tech giants over public discourse and child welfare. Similar legal actions are emerging in the European Union and the United Kingdom, signaling a worldwide shift towards stricter enforcement of digital safety standards. The Oakland trial is poised to be a decisive battle in determining the legal boundaries of social media responsibility, with its verdict likely to influence platform design and corporate governance for years to come.
