Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general in sending a letter to Meta Platforms, Inc. to address the rising number of Facebook and Instagram account takeovers by scammers. The coalition criticizes Meta's inadequate security measures and calls for improved protections including multi-factor authentication, increased staffing for response, and stronger enforcement against scammers. The letter urges Meta to take immediate action to safeguard user accounts from hijacking and fraud.
In-house legal teams should review data processing agreements, terms of service, and vendor contracts with security obligations. Focus on clauses governing data security standards, user authentication methods, breach notification timelines, account recovery processes, and fraud monitoring requirements. Changes may be needed to mandate multi-factor authentication, specify minimum security controls for account protection, require enhanced scam detection and response protocols, and establish clear accountability and reporting for account takeover incidents.
Entity
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Also known as: Meta
Industry
Social MediaOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2024-press-releases/ag-tong-joins-bipartisan-coalition-calling-on-meta-to-protect-accounts-from-scammers
multistate letter on account takeovers ltrhd.pdf?rev=a69344f
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2024/multistate-letter-on-account-takeovers_ltrhd.pdf?rev=a69344f4e07a471ab64fa4fffff52098&hash=79F8D695193B962BD0F7A17E66929148
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
"Meta Platforms, Inc."
"Account takeovers are when bad actors break into a user’s account and change passwords, effectively hijacking the account and blocking out the rightful owner."
"03/06/2024"
"Connecticut Attorney General William Tong"
"sending a letter to Meta Platforms, Inc."
"bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general"
$1.0B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. requiring Meta to pay over $1 billion and implement significant new safeguards to protect children online. The settlement includes stricter age-assurance measures, a daily two-hour limit for teen users, default disabling of notifications during school hours, hidden likes/reactions, and a nighttime access mode restricting features for children.
$17.0B
Meta Platforms, Inc. agreed to a landmark $17 billion multistate settlement resolving claims that it intentionally designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that harmed youth mental health, and misled the public about platform safety. Virginia will receive a guaranteed $353 million, and Meta must implement extensive child-safety measures including daily time limits, age verification, and content restrictions.
$17.1B
Attorney General James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general secured a landmark settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) worth up to $17.1 billion to address the company's harmful and addictive features targeting minors on Facebook and Instagram. The settlement requires Meta to implement significant changes, including age verification, time limits for minors, restrictions on notifications, and options to opt out of algorithmic feeds, along with monetary payments to states for mental health and education programs.
A bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general, led by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, began trial against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Facebook and Instagram that drive children and teens to use the platforms compulsively, while falsely assuring parents and the public that its platforms were safe for young users. The states also allege Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA. The trial opened before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the states seeking monetary penalties and injunctive relief.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement marking the first day of trial in a multistate lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company knowingly designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that harm children's mental health. The coalition alleges Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA, and seeks monetary penalties, restitution, and an injunction against deceptive practices.