Meta had a 17-strike policy for sex trafficking, former safety captain alleges

Meta allegedly gave accounts involved in “human sex trafficking” 16 chances before suspending them, according to testimony from the company’s former head of safety and wellbeing, Vaishnavi Jayakumar. The testimony – along with many other allegations that Meta ignored problems if participation increased – It appeared in the court file unredacted Related to a lawsuit related to child safety on social media Provided by school districts across the country.

“This means you could be subjected to 16 violations for prostitution and sexual solicitation, and on the 17th violation, your account will be suspended,” Jayakumar said during her testimony. She added that this “represents a very high strike threshold” “by any industry-wide measure,” according to the lawsuit. Lawyers claim that internal documents also “confirm” this policy.

As reported timethe unredacted filing reveals other troubling accusations, including that Meta “did not have a defined method” for Instagram users to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the platform. When Jayakumar learned of this, she reportedly raised the issue “several times,” but was told that preparing and reviewing the reports would be too much work.

The filing reveals multiple instances in which Meta was accused of downplaying the harms of its platforms in favor of boosting engagement. In 2019, Meta considered making all teen accounts private by default to prevent them from receiving spam; However, the company allegedly rejected the idea after the growth team found it would “potentially crush engagement.” dead I started putting teens on Instagram In private accounts last year.

The lawsuit also claims that while Meta researchers found that hiding likes on posts would make users “less likely to feel bad about themselves,” the company backed away from those plans after finding they were “too negative for Facebook’s metrics.” Meta is similarly accused Bring back beauty filters In 2020, even after it was discovered that young girls were “actively encouraged to develop body dysmorphia”. Meta said removing filters could have a “negative impact on growth, simply because any restrictions would likely reduce participation if people went elsewhere,” the lawsuit claims.

“We strongly disagree with these claims, which rely on cherry-picked quotes and misleading opinions in an attempt to present an intentionally misleading picture,” Meta spokesman Andy Stone said in an emailed statement. Edge. “A full record will show that over more than a decade, we’ve listened to parents, researched the issues that matter most, and made real changes to protect teens — like offering teen accounts with built-in protections and providing parents with controls to manage their teens’ experiences.”