Dorothy

Several of Torrez’s requests are hot-button tech policy issues. Age verification would almost certainly require Meta or a third-party provider to collect more personal information on adults and minors alike, which privacy advocates have consistently warned can make users less safe. Don McGowan, who previously served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said that barring encrypted communications on platforms like Facebook “is a great way to make sure that nobody uses Facebook Messenger anymore and just moves their activity to other platforms that aren’t touched by this lawsuit.”

A couple examples of the AG’s proposed impossible tasks, according to Meta, are the mandates it achieve a 99 percent accuracy rate for detecting new CSAM and rejecting underage accounts. No matter what threshold the state set for CSAM detection, the company writes in the filing, “Meta would never be able to prove that the system met that standard, because doing the calculation would require that Meta detect 100% of CSAM to use as the denominator.” Demanding a specific level of accuracy in detection “appears to be based on the false premise that any system or tool can rid any social application or website with billions of users of all abuse or all CSAM.

Torrez says in a statement that Meta’s resistance to his proposed changes simply shows its lack of willingness. “Meta’s refusal to follow the laws that protect our kids tells you everything you need to know about this company and the character of its leaders,” Torrez says. “We know Meta has the ability to make these changes. For years the company has rewritten its own rules, redesigned its products, and even bent to the demands of dictators to preserve market access. This is not about technological capability. Meta simply refuses to place the safety of children ahead of engagement, advertising revenue, and profit.”