Mark Zuckerberg delivered a surprise apology to the families of online child sex abuse victims amid heated Senate hearings on Capitol Hill.
In a stunning move on Wednesday, Meta’s billionaire boss stood up from his chair and turned to face the back of the room, where parents held up pictures of their children who they say have been harmed by social media.
“I’m sorry for everything you all have been through,” said Zuckerberg, who was grilled for hours by lawmakers over Meta’s failure to crack down on child predators and “sextortion” crimes on Facebook and Instagram.
“No one should have to go through what your family has gone through,” Zuckerberg added. “And this is why we’re investing so much and we’re going to continue to make industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through what your family has to suffer.”
As the hearing began, the Senate committee played a video in which children talked about being bullied on social media platforms. The senator told stories of young people taking their own lives after being blackmailed for money after sharing photos with sexual predators.
“Do you now want to apologize to the victims who were harmed by your product?” Hawley asked, noting the hearing was being televised live.
CEO Meta Zuckerberg apologized to families at a Senate hearing on the effects of social media on children. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Some parents hold photos of their children who have been hurt by social media. Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Zuckerberg told parents that “no one should have to go through what your family has gone through.” REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The 39-year-old tech tycoon responded by rising from his chair and issuing a sniggering mea culpa to the packed room.
“Your product is killing people,” Hawley told Zuckerberg, arguing that Congress should move quickly to repeal Section 230, which shields social media platforms from liability for content posted by their users.
The Missouri senator also pressed Zuckerberg on whether Meta has plans to compensate, or has already compensated, the families of victims of online exploitation, either financially or through support resources such as counseling.
At the urging of Republican Senator Josh Hawley, Zuckerberg spoke to families whose children have been harmed by social media. AP
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“I don’t believe that,” Zuckerberg said. “Our job is to build tools to help keep people safe across our platform.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
