Washington (Web Desk): Four U.S. states have accused Meta Platforms of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram in a way that made young users addicted to the platforms while misleading the public about their safety features.
According to Meta's recent court filing, the proposed penalty sought by the states could reach $1.4 trillion, an amount close to the company's market value of approximately $1.5 trillion.
According to reports, the trial is scheduled to begin in August in Oakland, where the states of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey will argue that Meta violated state consumer protection laws by developing addictive digital products for children and teenagers.
Meanwhile, Meta has rejected all allegations, saying that the proposed penalty has neither a legal basis nor credible evidence to support it.
The company said there is no precedent in the history of consumer protection laws for a financial penalty of such magnitude.
It is worth noting that no final ruling has yet been issued in the case, and the allegations are currently under judicial review.