Meta may delete data relevant to case accusing it of failing to protect minors from sex predators, New Mexico AG warns

Meta is threatening to delete data relevant to a recently filed lawsuit that accuses Facebook and Instagram of failing to protect underage minors from sexual predators and pornographic material online, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, the New York Post reported.

Last week, Torrez filed a complaint against Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, claiming several test accounts set up by state investigators found that children were being exposed to sexual content and disturbing messages from alleged child predators.

According to the lawsuit, state investigators created four accounts for decoy fictional children aged 14 and younger using artificial intelligence-generated images. Those fake accounts reportedly received "pictures and videos of genitalia" and even six-figure offers to participate in pornographic movies, the complaint stated.

Torrez's lawsuit also named Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the parent company's subsidiaries.

"Our investigation into Meta's social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex," Torrez stated. "As a career prosecutor who specialized in internet crimes against children, I am committed to using every available tool to put an end to these horrific practices and I will hold companies — and their executives — accountable whenever they put profits ahead of children's safety."

The state's undercover investigation also revealed that the social media platforms "proactively served and directed the underage users a stream of egregious, sexually explicit images — even when the child has expressed no interest in this content," a press release from the attorney general's office read.

The sites also "enabled dozens of adults to find, contact, and press children into providing sexually explicit pictures of themselves or participate in pornographic video," the release added.

According to Torrez, the decoy accounts were recommended by Facebook to join "unmoderated ... groups devoted to facilitating commercial sex," and the platform enabled users to "find, share, and sell an enormous volume of child pornography."

In one instance, a decoy mother was able to offer her underage daughter for sale to sex traffickers, the press release claimed.

Torrez contended that Zuckerberg and his company's 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."

In a Monday filing, Torrez claimed that Meta has now blocked his investigative team from accessing the decoy accounts, and he is concerned that the platform could permanently delete the accounts' data.

When attempting to log in, investigators received a warning that the accounts had been "disabled" and that they may be "permanently disabled" in 30 days.

The attorney general's office was informed by Meta the day after the court filing that the platform would be disabling the accounts. The office requested that Meta "preserve all data associated" with the test accounts.

Torrez is asking the court to block Meta "from deleting any information associated with accounts referenced in the complaint or associated with accounts against which Meta took action as a result of information in the complaint."

Meta's attorney reportedly stated that the company is "taking reasonable steps to identify the accounts referenced in the complaint and, once identified, to preserve relevant data and information regarding those accounts."

Meta, which has denied any wrongdoing, told the Wall Street Journal last week, "We use sophisticated technology, hire child safety experts, report content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and share information and tools with other companies and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help root out predators."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!