In a recent interview with Fox News’s Hannity, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for his apparent hypocrisy when it comes to censorship and protecting children on his social media platforms. Hawley pointed out that while Zuckerberg has spent time and resources censoring conservative content, he has not taken significant action to remove sexual predators from his platforms.
Hawley brought up the fact that whistleblowers have revealed that Zuckerberg is aware of the presence of sex predators on his platforms and could take action to remove them. However, the CEO has chosen not to do so, despite being worth $140 billion.
This issue was brought to the forefront as Zuckerberg, along with other tech CEOs, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss potential legislation to protect children from harmful individuals and organizations. During the hearing, Hawley referenced a former Facebook engineering director who exposed a company study showing that 25% of 13-15-year-olds reported receiving unwanted sexual content on Instagram within seven days of usage. Hawley stated that the victims of this exploitation should have the ability to sue Instagram.
During the hearing, Hawley also proposed an idea for Meta to set up a victims’ compensation fund, as the company has reportedly profited from the exploitation of children on its platforms. He urged Meta to take responsibility for their role in these traumatic experiences and provide compensation to the victims and their families.
Furthermore, Hawley is a co-sponsor of the STOP CSAM Act of 2023, which would allow victims of child sexual abuse material to bring civil lawsuits against social media platforms that knowingly host this type of content. The senator called upon Zuckerberg to face the victims and take responsibility for not offering them compensation for the exploitation they have endured.
In response, Zuckerberg issued a rare apology, saying, “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”
However, Hawley remains skeptical of Zuckerberg’s motives and actions. He pointed out that while the CEO has the time and resources to censor conservative content, he seems unwilling to take significant action to protect children from sexual predators on his platforms.
Hawley’s dedication to this issue was evident during the hearing as he pressed Zuckerberg to take responsibility and make changes to ensure the safety of children on his platforms. He emphasized the need for Meta to compensate the victims and their families and urged for stronger legislation to hold social media companies accountable for the exploitation taking place on their platforms.