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.
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
$1.4B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a record-setting $1.4 billion settlement with Meta for unlawfully capturing and using the biometric data of millions of Texans, marking one of the largest privacy settlements in U.S. history.
Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in urging Meta Platforms to protect users from fraudulent investment ads on Facebook that facilitate pump-and-dump schemes, causing significant financial losses. The coalition calls for enhanced ad review processes, including human review for investment ads, and suggests ceasing investment ads if scams cannot be curbed.
New Jersey, leading a coalition of 41 other attorneys general, sued Meta for knowingly designing addictive Instagram and Facebook features targeting children and teens while falsely claiming the platforms were safe. The lawsuit alleges Meta collected personal data from users under 13 without parental consent, violating the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and state consumer protection laws like the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
New Jersey is co-leading a nationwide investigation into whether Instagram and its parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. are violating state consumer protection laws by employing techniques that induce children, teenagers, and young adults to use the platform in potentially harmful ways. The bipartisan coalition of attorneys general is examining the potential mental and physical health harms resulting from extended engagement, including depression, anxiety, and body image issues.
$100K
The Connecticut Attorney General announced a $100,000 settlement with Spruce Power 3, LLC to resolve an investigation into billing, customer service, and warranty issues stemming from consumer complaints. The settlement includes refunds for improper charges and requires reforms to improve billing practices and response times. Separately, an investigation was initiated into SunStrong Management LLC based on approximately 65 consumer complaints regarding warranty failures, unresponsiveness, and fees.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to stop new data reporting requirements under IPEDS that demand detailed student information. The coalition argues the requirements are unlawful, arbitrary, and jeopardize student privacy by requesting in-depth data that could lead to inadvertent errors and baseless investigations. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the implementation of these requirements.