kids

Buried in Meta’s $18B settlement is a legal pass on kids’ data

In addition to paying out up to $18 billion and adding child safety measures, Meta’s settlement agreement with attorneys general from 29 states includes an interesting provision: The states have agreed not to sue Meta under existing child safety laws over its retention and use of children’s data. That permission is being granted for the limited purpose of training and testing Meta’s age-assurance model and includes guardrails, but it’s a curious policy decision to make in a case centered on child safety, and one that could be difficult to properly enforce.