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IMO Elon will show up to next weeks call with one thing on his mind: burn the shorts
Could pop back over 25 with ease
There goes my last buy $15.30
Some folks have absolutely no morals. Disgusting
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Accused Of Putting 'Growth Ahead Of Children's Safety': Unsealed New Mexico Lawsuit Documents
Mentioned: META MTCH WMT
A lawsuit filed against Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, centers on whether the social media giant is doing enough to protect the safety of children.
What Happened: Unredacted documents from a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Department of Justice, allege that Meta knew about a large amount of inappropriate and sexually explicit content on its platforms, according to a report from TechCrunch.
Meta owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads.
The documents also claim that Meta may have intentionally marketed its messaging platforms to children.
Facebook Messenger and direct messaging on Instagram were listed as items that failed to protect underage users in the document.
The documents reveal that Meta employees had previously raised concerns over the company's private messaging services. However, Meta failed to put in place certain safeguards due to concerns over profitability, plaintiffs claim.
"For years, Meta employees tried to sound the alarm about how decisions made by Meta executives subjected children to dangerous solicitations and child exploitation," New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez told TechCrunch.
Torrez said Meta and Zuckerberg allowed child predators to exploit children on platforms owned by the company.
"Meta executives, including Mr. Zuckerberg, consistently made decisions that put growth ahead of children's safety. While the company continues to downplay the illegal and harmful activity children are exposed to on its platforms, Meta's internal data and presentations show the problem is severe and pervasive."
A 2016 presentation showed that Meta brass was concerned that social media users preferred to spend time on rival platforms (i.e., Snapchat and YouTube). A plan to "win over" new teenage users was launched, the lawsuit claims.
One case in the documents saw an executive oppose Facebook Messenger scanning for harmful content as it could be a "competitive disadvantage vs other apps who might offer more privacy."
Meta responded to TechCrunch. The Menlo Park, California-based company insists that it takes the safety of children seriously.
"We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we have over 30 tools to support them and their parents. We've spent a decade working on these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online," a Meta spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the complaint used selective quotes and cherry-picked documents.
Related Link: Want To Use TikTok, Instagram Or Twitter? You Might Have To Get Your Parent To Sign A Permission Slip
Why It's Important: The New Mexico Department of Justice originally filed the complaint in December. It is one of several potential legal issues Meta faces related to its social media platforms.
The New Mexico DOJ blasted Meta's platforms as "a marketplace for predators in search of children upon whom to prey."
Meta also faces another lawsuit. Forty-two state attorneys general allege that Meta's platforms can have a potential negative impact on a child's mental health.
Certain companies have called on Meta to change its approach to advertising. Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) and Match Group Inc (NASDAQ:MTCH) claim Meta placed their ads near inappropriate content.
Several states have considered legislation to ban or limit social media time for children. Lawsuits like the above against Meta Platforms could increase attention on the issues and see more states join the cause.
Read Next: Former COO Sheryl Sandberg Says She Is Leaving Meta Platform's Board â?? Zuckerberg Lauds Her â??Extraordinary' Contributions
Image: Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
It will get there if Trump gets elected
Gonna try to catch the double bottom @ $10
Children on Instagram and Facebook Were Frequent Targets of Sexual Harassment, State Says -- WSJ
Mentioned: META
By Katherine Blunt and Jeff Horwitz
Children using Instagram and Facebook have been frequent targets of sexual harassment, according to a 2021 internal Meta Platforms presentation that estimated that 100,000 minors each day received photos of adult genitalia or other sexually abusive content.
That finding is among newly unredacted material about the company's child-safety policies in a lawsuit filed last month by New Mexico that alleges Meta's platforms recommend sexual content to underage users and promote underage accounts to predatory adult users.
In one 2021 internal document described in the now unredacted material, Meta employees noted that one of its recommendation algorithms, called "People You May Know," was known among employees to connect child users with potential predators. The New Mexico lawsuit says the finding had been flagged to executives several years earlier, and that they had rejected a staff recommendation that the company adjust the design of the algorithm, known internally as PYMK, to stop it from recommending minors to adults.
In comments appended to the report, one Facebook employee wrote that the algorithm had in the past "contributed up to 75% of all inappropriate adult-minor contact."
"How on earth have we not just turned off PYMK between adults and children?" another employee responded, according to the lawsuit. "It's really, really upsetting."
Meta declined to comment on the newly unsealed references to internal documents, referring the Journal to a previous statement in which it said New Mexico "mischaracterizes our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents." Calling child predators "determined criminals, " the company has said it has long invested in both enforcement and child safety-focused tools for young users and their parents.
New Mexico alleges that Meta has failed to address widespread predation on its platform or limit design features that recommended children to adults with malicious intentions. Instead of publicly acknowledging internal findings such as the 100,000 child-a-day scale of harassment on its platforms, the suit alleges, Meta falsely assured the public that its platforms were safe.
Much of the internal discussion described in the newly unredacted material focused on Instagram. In an internal email in 2020, employees reported that the prevalence of "sex talk" to minors was 38 times greater on Instagram than on Facebook Messenger in the U.S. and urged the company to enact more safeguards on the platform, according to documents cited in the lawsuit.
One employee that year reported that an Apple executive had complained that the executive's 12-year-old child was solicited on Instagram. The Meta employee, tasked with addressing the issue, noted that "this is the kind of thing that pisses Apple off to the extent of threating [sic] to remove us from the App Store," and asked whether there was a timeline for when the company would prevent adults from messaging minors on the platform.
A November 2020 presentation titled "Child Safety: State of Play" said that Instagram employed "minimal child safety protections" and described policies regarding "minor sexualization" as "immature." It further noted the platform's "minimal focus" on trafficking.
Despite knowing the scale of the problem, New Mexico alleges, Meta leaders didn't take action to prevent adults from sexually soliciting children until late 2022 -- and they stopped short of the broad messaging limitations its safety staff had recommended. Rather than to broadly stop recommending the accounts of children to adults, Facebook and Instagram sought to block such suggestions to adults who had already demonstrated suspicious behavior toward children.
Meta's approach of limiting contact with only known suspicious accounts was bound to be less effective than shutting down the recommendations, New Mexico says, because both malicious adults and children routinely lied about their age. Meta internally acknowledged in 2021 that the majority of minors on Meta's platforms falsely claim to be adults, New Mexico's complaint says, and a study of accounts disabled for grooming children found that 99% of those adults failed to state their age.
Meta in June established a task force to address child-safety problems on its platforms after an article in The Wall Street Journal revealed that Instagram's algorithms connected and promoted a vast network of accounts openly devoted to the commission and purchase of underage-sex content.
Additional Journal articles last year showed that Meta is struggling to fix problems on Instagram as well as on Facebook, where it recently introduced encryption for direct messages. The company's safety staff had long warned of the dangers of enshrouding exchanges that could be used to prosecute child exploitation, the Journal reported. Meta said it had spent years developing safety measures to prevent and combat abuses.
In addition to New Mexico's suit, more than 40 other states sued Meta in October alleging that it misled the public about the dangers its platforms pose to young people.
Meta this month said it would start automatically restricting teen Instagram and Facebook accounts from harmful content including videos and posts about self-harm, graphic violence and eating disorders.
Write to Katherine Blunt at katherine.blunt@wsj.com and Jeff Horwitz at jeff.horwitz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 17, 2024 22:38 ET (03:38 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Still waiting here. Thought the trump stocks pop today would hit here as well
You’re missing out on $DWAC
Should be back over $25 soon, then will have to make a decision
Anyone else want to go on record as profiting off of this evil empire?
Got it. Some paper gains are worth harming people
You like exploiting teens and harming society through META for profit?
I am short some META
Almost every state in the country is now suing $META
Trading these is maximum difficulty for sure. My bid at 17.50 got filled right at the open. Now waiting to see if it bottoms or not
Check out the lower trend line 12/22, 12/29, 1/2, & today
Yes I’ll get more if we go below 18, if anywhere near 15 I will back up the truck
Miners stocks got crushed. I just bought some MARA
Bought $19.25
“more than 40 states are suing Meta, alleging that the company's services are contributing to young users' mental health problems.
The lawsuit alleges that over the past decade, Meta "profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans" and that it is using "powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens."
You mean killing our society?
Is Elon setting a bear trap for this ER???
$META creating a safe space for soft core child porn?
Lawsuits galore and Zuck dumping shares, looks like soon $META will have to answer for its activities
Kiddie diddlers are all coming out of the woodwork to buy this $META dip
Investors buying into this dirty company that allegedly exploits young girls for profit, are complicit in those activities. Gross!
Meta Under Fire: Walmart and Match Group Slam Company Over Ads Next to Underage Sexual Content
Mentioned: META MTCH QQQ WMT
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META), the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, faced a significant uproar from two of its prominent corporate advertisers, Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT) and Match Group Inc (NASDAQ: MTCH), due to their ad display next to content that sexualized underage users.
In an amended lawsuit filed on Tuesday, these advertisers expressed their concerns about the inappropriate placement of their ads on Meta's platforms.
Match Group, Tinder's parent company, informed Meta about a series of Reels that appeared alongside one of its ads, describing the content as "highly disturbing."
This included six consecutive videos featuring young girls in various provocative situations, the New York Post reports.
Match Group's concerns were so elevated that its CEO, Bernard Kim, reached out directly to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta.
Walmart also voiced its concerns when one of its ads was seen next to "gruesome content" from a group titled "Only women are slaughtered."
Walmart demanded that Meta take immediate action to prevent such ad placements.
This dispute intensified following a Wall Street Journal report that Instagram's recommendation algorithms were boosting what the report referred to as a "vast pedophile network."
Meta attempted to reassure advertisers by stating that it removes 98% of violating content before it is reported.
Meta is already facing multiple legal challenges from state attorneys general over issues related to the impact of its platforms on underage users.
Meta faced child safety challenges on its platforms despite efforts, including establishing a task force in June.
Instagram's algorithms have been connecting accounts involved in underage sexual content creation and trading, with Meta's recommendation systems continuing to promote such content.
The problem extends to Facebook Groups, where large groups sexualize children, and Meta's algorithms often suggest similar groups.
Earlier, Meta initiated the implementation of encryption for Facebook direct messages, a decision that has sparked controversy within the company.
Despite initially announcing this encryption in 2019 as part of a privacy enhancement effort, Meta employees, including David Erb, raised concerns that it could impede the detection and reporting of child sexual abuse on the platform.
Great day to short META today $370
More than doubled the money on this whole Bitcoin ETF pump yayyyy
Nice I locked in all my gains today
Finally it’s time to dump all my bitcoins yay
Enjoy your paper gains for now
Instagram’s new teen safety features still fall short, critics say
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/instagram-s-new-teen-safety-features-still-fall-short-critics-say/ar-AA1mK6aN
"Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) Tells DEA To Reschedule Marijuana 'As Swiftly As Possible'
A Democratic congressman is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to complete its marijuana review "as swiftly as possible" and abide by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis under Schedule III.
In a letter sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on Thursday, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said he "appreciated the opportunity" to address the scheduling review process during a House subcommittee hearing she testified at last July but that he wants the agency to move more quickly to complete the job.
Since that hearing, HHS completed its scientific assessment of cannabis and advised DEA to move it from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
"I urge you, in the strongest possible way, to follow through on HHS's recommendation," Cohen said. "It is critical that the DEA's review is expeditious and that your agency quickly initiate the rulemaking process."
"Marijuana never belonged on Schedule I. Its inclusion resulted in harsh and disproportionate prison sentences, particularly for communities of color," he wrote. "Nearly half the states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use by ballot measure."
The lawmaker told Milgram she has a "historic opportunity to make make meaningful progress as Congress works on legislation to deschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and address some of the inequities caused by this misguided and discriminatory policy."
"The DEA should move as swiftly as possible on this effort, and I hope to see a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on this issue soon," Cohen, who has long advocated for an end to federal prohibition, wrote.
While the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said it is "likely" that the agency will follow the HHS recommendation and move marijuana to Schedule III, DEA has emphasized that it has "final authority" over the matter and could make any scheduling decision, regardless of the HHS findings.
"DEA has the final authority to schedule, reschedule, or deschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act, after considering the relevant statutory and regulatory criteria and HHS's scientific and medical evaluation," the agency said in a letter to lawmakers last month. "DEA is now conducting its review."
DEA's statement came in response to an earlier letter from 31 bipartisan lawmakers, led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), that implored DEA to consider the "merits" of legalization as it carried out its review. That initial letter also criticized the limitations of simply placing cannabis in Schedule III, as opposed to fully removing the plant from CSA control.
Also, despite the furor over the ongoing rescheduling review, outside observers still know little about HHS's justification for its recommendation that cannabis be moved to Schedule III. While the agency sent hundreds of pages of explanation to DEA as part of its rescheduling recommendation, those documents have so far only been released in highly redacted form, with little to no indication of the federal health agency's findings related to possible medical benefits, addictive potential or any other aspect of the policy decision.
DEA has received a number of messages from different sides of the cannabis policy debate in recent months, including a recent letter from 29 former U.S. attorneys who urged the Biden administration to leave cannabis in Schedule I.
Last month, the governors of six U.S. statesâ??Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Louisianaâ??sent a letter to Biden calling on the administration to reschedule marijuana by the end of last year.
Meanwhile, six former DEA heads and five former White House drug czars sent a letter to the attorney general and current DEA administrator voicing opposition to the top federal health agency's recommendation to reschedule marijuana. They also made a questionable claim about the relationship between drug schedules and criminal penalties in a way that could exaggerate the potential impact of the incremental reform.
Signatories include DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy heads under multiple administrations led by presidents of both major parties.
In October, Advocates and lawmakers who support cannabis reform marked the one-year anniversary of Biden's mass marijuana pardon and scheduling directive this month by calling on him to do moreâ??including by expanding the scope of relief that his pardon had and by expressly supporting federal legalization.
Two GOP senators, including the lead Republican sponsor of a marijuana banking bill that cleared a key committee in September, also filed legislation late last year to prevent federal agencies from rescheduling cannabis without tacit approval from Congress.
A coalition of 14 Republican congressional lawmakers, meanwhile, has urged DEA to "reject" the top federal health agency's recommendation to reschedule marijuana and instead keep it in the most restrictive category under the CSA.
Separately, DEA recently announced that it is taking another shot at banning two psychedelics after abandoning its original scheduling proposal in 2022, teeing up another fight with researchers and advocates who say the compounds hold therapeutic potential.
The agency has separately warned Georgia pharmacies that dispensing THC is unlawful because it remains a Schedule I drug after the state became the first in the U.S. to allow pharmacies to sell medical marijuana, with nearly 120 facilities applying to sell cannabis oil.
Meanwhile, DEA recently affirmed that spores that produce so-called magic mushrooms are not, on their own, federally prohibited prior to germination.
Tesla Model Y Is Bestselling Electric Vehicle Of All-Time, Passing A Record Previously Held By The Musk-Led Company
Electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) had an eventful 2023 with the first deliveries of its highly anticipated Cybertruck electric pickup truck.
The company may have also hit a new world record thanks to its bestselling SUV.
What Happened: Tesla recently announced fourth-quarter delivery figures. The company delivered 484,507 units in the fourth quarter, including 461,538 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
Tesla does not break out sales by individual brand or region, which makes estimates of bestselling vehicles more difficult to compute, but one electric vehicle site is predicting a new record set by the company.
Data from Cleantechnica revealed the Model Y is likely the bestselling electric vehicle of all time based on the fourth quarter report from Tesla.
The media site predicted Tesla has sold a total of 2,493,657 Model Y units since the vehicle first began deliveries in March 2020. This figure would pass the estimated 2,295,187 Model 3 vehicles delivered by Tesla.
Tesla beats an old Tesla record, continuing the company's legend as the leader in electric vehicles.
Related Link: Tesla Q3 Earnings Highlights: Revenue Miss, EPS Miss, Cybertruck Launch Set For November And More
Why It's Important: Selling two million electric vehicles is something many automotive companies would dream of and Tesla has done it twice with two different vehicle models.
Along with being the bestselling electric vehicle of all time, the Model Y could end up being one of the bestselling vehicles in the U.S. and globally for all of 2023, regardless of vehicle type.
Benzinga reported recently the Model Y was likely to end the year as the bestselling vehicle in Europe. Data from Norway recently released saw the Model Y the top-selling vehicle in the country with an 18.2% market share of the new car market.
If the Model Y is the bestselling vehicle in Europe for 2023, it would mark several firsts, including the first electric vehicle, first midsize car and first non-European car in the modern era to take home the yearly honors.
In the U.S., pickup trucks dominated the list of top-selling vehicles. The Model Y ended 2022 as the sixth bestselling vehicle in the U.S. with a 32.4% year-over-year increase in units sold.
Final estimates are not out and with Tesla not releasing individual vehicle model figures or regional data, estimates could be off on just how well the Model Y sold in 2023.
TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares trade Thursday up 1% at $240.91 versus a 52-week trading range of $101.81 to $299.29. Shares of Tesla are up 113% in the last year.
Keep buying the dips $MSOS 2024
Bought 239 just now
Bought back some for $20 today
Well it’ll get back down to $300 really soon, and that will take us right back to July ‘23 prices which will trigger retail to just begin to start selling. Could become a waterfall at that point
Maybe $150 by end of the month
Plan on holding this until all of last years gains are gone?