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☆ He prosecuted child sex predators. Now, he’s going after Meta for allegedly enabling them
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Meta, along with other major social media companies, faces growing scrutiny over the safety of young users on its platforms. But of the several lawsuits filed against Meta over child safety in recent years, none have focused as pointedly as Torrez’s case on alleged child sexual exploitation. In some cases, Torrez said he volunteered to take child abuse cases and to visit safe houses to conduct interviews with child victims. The New Mexico Attorney General's office alleges it found in an investigation of Facebook and Instagram accounts promoting sexualized images of minors. Meta also says it has removed hundreds of thousands of accounts, groups and devices for violating its child safety policies.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Presiliano Torrez, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, pornographers, General Raúl Torrez, Countess, ” Torrez, Zuckerberg, Frances Haugen, ” Meta, Obama, Meta, Rebecca Wright, —, Linda Atkinson, aren’t, “, New Mexico Attorney General's, Issa Bee, Issa, you’re, Nkechi Nneji, Evelyn Hockstein, Ann Olivarius, McAlister Olivarius Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, Meta, Tech, Getty, CNN, Communications, ”, Harvard, London School of Economics, Stanford Law School, New Mexico Department of Justice, New Mexico Attorney, PayPal, National Center for, Force, Reuters, Bureau, US News Locations: New York, New Mexico, Torrez, Washington ,, Albuquerque, Mexico, ”, Bernalillo County, Torrez’s, United States

☆ Instagram and Facebook Subscriptions Get New Scrutiny in Child Safety Suit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Michael H. Keller | Jennifer Valentino-Devries | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The New Mexico attorney general, who last year sued Meta alleging that it did not protect children from sexual predators and had made false claims about its platforms’ safety, announced Monday that his office would examine how the company’s paid-subscription services attract predators. Attorney General Raúl Torrez said he had formally requested documentation from the social media company about subscriptions on Facebook and Instagram, which are frequently available on children’s accounts run by parents. Instagram does not allow users under 13, but accounts that focus entirely on children are permitted as long as they are managed by an adult. The New York Times published an investigation on Thursday into girl influencers on the platform, reporting that the so-called mom-run accounts charge followers up to $19.99 a month for additional photos as well as chat sessions and other extras. The Times found that adult men subscribe to the accounts, including some who actively participate in forums where people discuss the girls in sexual terms.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Instagram, influencers Organizations: New, Meta, Facebook, The New York Times, Times Locations: New Mexico

☆ Senator tells Mark Zuckerberg his product is 'killing people' at child safety hearing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg was grilled at a Senate hearing on online child safety on Wednesday. The Meta chief was told by Senator Lindsey Graham: "You have a product that's killing people." AdvertisementMark Zuckerberg was told that Meta's product is "killing people" at a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday. At one point, the Meta CEO was interrogated by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during a fiery hearing on online child safety before the Senate Judiciary Committee. AdvertisementBig tech leaders from X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord were also called to testify and the child safety hearing.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Lindsey Graham, —, Graham, Mr, Zuckerberg, General Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Meta didn't Organizations: Meta, Service, New, Guardian Locations: Nigeria, New Mexico

☆ Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg 'needs to do the right thing' in child sex targeting fight: New Mexico AG
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

New Mexico's attorney general slammed Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday for failing to protect children from sexual predators on Facebook and Instagram. Torrez sued Meta and Zuckerberg in December, alleging that Facebook and Instagram were "prime locations" for predators who engaged in sexual abuse, solicitation and trafficking. "By their own reckoning, nearly 100,000 children a day receive sexually explicit material or are targeted for sexual harassment" on social media, Torrez said. The attorney general said Zuckerberg "absolutely" was directly warned about the threat to children on those hugely popular social media sites. "Meta executives have known for years that their platforms were a breeding ground for pedophiles, for predators," Torrez told CNBC on Wednesday.

Persons: General Raúl Torrez, Mark Zuckerberg, Raul Torrez, CNBC's Eamon Javers, Zuckerberg, Torrez, Meta Organizations: New, Meta, Facebook, U.S . Capitol, Committee, CNBC, AG Locations: New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M

☆ New Mexico AG on Meta lawsuit: Surprised at how easy it was for predators to target underage users
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNew Mexico AG on Meta lawsuit: Surprised at how easy it was for predators to target underage usersCNBC’s Eamon Javers and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the state's lawsuit against Facebook and Meta parent company Meta for allegedly failing to protect children from sexual abuse, online solicitation, and human trafficking.

Persons: Eamon Javers, Raul Torrez Organizations: Mexico AG, Meta, New, Facebook Locations: Mexico, New Mexico

☆ Sextortion is fastest-growing crime targeting minors in North America – and social media companies can do more to stop it, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

NCRI, a nonprofit, found cybercriminals used the social apps Instagram, Snapchat and Wizz to find and connect with their marks. And social media platforms should include a distinct category to report sextortion — as Snapchat did in early 2023. Parents and educators should "combat the belief that photos sent on Snapchat disappear, which can create a false sense of security," the NCRI study recommends. The NCRI study also strongly criticized Wizz, concluding: "Sextortion on Wizz is pervasive and dangerous. Apple's App Store and Google Play can also help, the NCRI study suggested, by carefully monitoring complaints about sextortion associated with social media apps, and enforcing their existing policies.

Persons: cybercriminals, Wizz, Paul Raffile, Alex Goldenberg, TikTok, Scribd, sextortion, Snapchat, Goldenberg, screenshotted, General Raúl Torrez, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, — Kevin Collier, Ben Goggin Organizations: Yahoo, Network, Research, FBI, Yahoo Boys, NBC News, CNBC, NBC, Secret Service, Facebook, YouTube, Meta, gov, National Center for Locations: North America, Australia, West Africa, Michigan, Wizz, New Mexico, U.S

☆ Children targeted with sexually explicit photos on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The lawsuit accuses Meta of creating a “breeding ground” for child predators. “The company determined that recruiting and exploiting (or advertising) victims for profit were the most common,” the complaint states. But New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has said the company needs to do more to protect children and teens. “Parents deserve to know the full truth about the risks children face when they use Meta’s platforms,” Torrez said in a statement. “For years, Meta employees tried to sound the alarm about how decisions made by Meta executives subjected children to dangerous solicitations and sexual exploitation.”

Persons: Meta, “, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, , ‘, We’ve, Liza Crenshaw, ” Crenshaw, “ Meta, they’ve, General Raúl Torrez, Torrez Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Facebook, IG, Meta, ”, National Center for, Audit, Force Locations: New York, New Mexico

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Newly unredacted documents from New Mexico's lawsuit against Meta underscore the company's “historical reluctance” to keep children safe on its platforms, the complaint says. Child safety is an explicit non-goal this half” (likely meaning half-year), according to the lawsuit. A March 2021 child safety presentation noted that Meta is “underinvested in minor sexualization on (Instagram), notable on sexualized comments on content posted by minors. Last week, the company announced it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, including posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of Snap, Discord, TikTok and X, formerly Twitter, are scheduled to testify before the U.S. Senate on child safety at the end of January.

Persons: Raúl Torrez, Meta, Meta “, ”, Instagram, ” Instagram, Arturo Béjar, “, it’s, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: FRANCISCO, Meta, Facebook, Apple, ”, National Center for, U.S . Senate Locations: New, —, Instagram, Menlo Park , California

☆ Ads for Match Group and Walmart ran alongside disturbing content on Meta’s platforms, court documents claim
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Wednesday’s filing alleges that Match Group cut its advertising spending on Meta’s platforms over its concerns. Wednesday’s complaint cites an alleged email exchange between Match and Meta late last year in which the dating company asked how Meta prevented its ads from running next to inappropriate content. Meta responded saying it had removed some of the flagged content, including the group, the complaint states. Former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Arturo Bejar also told a Senate subcommittee in November that Meta’s top executives, including Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harm to teens on its platforms. Zuckerberg and Meta are refusing to be honest and transparent about what is taking place on Meta’s platforms,” Torrez said in a statement to CNN Wednesday.

Persons: General Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, ” Meta, Andy Stone, “, we’ve, provocatively, Harley Davidson, ”, Zuckerberg, Arturo Bejar, Mr, Meta’s Stone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Group, Walmart, Meta, CNN, Wall, Facebook, Wednesday Locations: New York, New Mexico, Mexico, “, TikTok

☆ Facebook and Instagram content enabled child sexual abuse, trafficking: New Mexico lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Facebook and Instagram created "prime locations" for sexual predators that enabled child sexual abuse, solicitation, and trafficking, New Mexico's attorney general alleged in a civil suit filed Wednesday against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The suit was brought after an "undercover investigation" allegedly revealed myriad instances of sexually explicit content being served to minors, child sexual coercion, or the sale of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez said in a press release. The suit alleges that "certain child exploitative content" is ten times "more prevalent" on Facebook and Instagram as compared to pornography site PornHub and adult content platform OnlyFans, according to the release. "Child exploitation is a horrific crime and online predators are determined criminals," Meta said in a statement to CNBC. The lawsuit argues that Meta's algorithms allegedly promote sex and exploitation content to users and that Facebook and Instagram lack "effective" age verification.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Chuck Schumer, Instagram, Raúl Torrez, Meta, Zuckerberg, Mr, Torres Organizations: Facebook, Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Meta, CNBC, National Center for Locations: Washington ,, New Mexico, Mexico

☆ New Mexico State basketball: 3 former players charged with sex crimes in case of alleged hazing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Jason Hanna | Joe Sutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Three former New Mexico State University basketball players have been charged with felony sex crimes and other offenses over allegations they were hazing teammates and student staff members – accusations that helped prematurely end the team’s 2022-23 season – the state attorney general said Thursday. The offenses are alleged to have happened from August to November 2022, grand jury indictments released by Torrez’s office say. Washington, a junior guard last season, and Bradley, then a sophomore forward, each face five counts of false imprisonment and criminal sexual contact. CNN has sought comment from the attorney general’s office and New Mexico State University. The Aggies resumed their men’s basketball program under a new coach, and the team played its first two games of the 2023-24 regular season this week.

Persons: Deshawndre, Doctor Bradley, Kim Aiken Jr, “, General Raúl Torrez, ” Torrez, Bradley, Aiken, ”, Dan E, Arvizu, KOAT Organizations: CNN, New Mexico State University, New, KOAT, New Mexico State University Police Department, KVIA, The Aggies Locations: Deshawndre Washington, New Mexico, Washington, Las Cruces

Some landowners had put up concertina wire and other barriers to keep people from floating or wading in the river. The counts listed in the complaint include depriving the public of access to the Pecos River and public nuisance. In that case, the court said the constitution and pre-statehood law established a right for the public to fish, boat and engage in other forms of recreation in public water. In its 2022 opinion, the court addressed whether the right to recreational access and fishing in public water also allowed the public the right to touch privately owned land below those waters. While finding that walking and wading on the privately owned beds beneath public water was reasonably necessary for fishing or recreational activities, the court also stressed that the public "may neither trespass on privately owned land to access public water, nor trespass on privately owned land from public water.”

Persons: Raúl Torrez, ” Torrez, Erik Briones, John, ”, Briones, Torrez Organizations: New, Adobe, of New, New Mexico, Coalition, Colorado Supreme Locations: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M, Pecos, New Mexico, Santa Fe, of New Mexico, Chama, Colorado

☆ JPMorgan settlement with Epstein accusers draws objection from US states
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They also said Deutsche Bank's (DBKGn.DE) similar $75 million agreement with Epstein's accusers did not contain the offending language. Lawyers for Epstein's accusers did not immediately respond to similar requests. He ordered JPMorgan and Epstein's accusers to address the states' objection by Nov. 6. Epstein died in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The case is Doe 1 v JPMorgan Chase & Co, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Mike Segar, JPMorgan Chase's, Jeffrey Epstein's, Epstein, Raul Torrez, Jed Rakoff, Jonathan Stempel, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Co, REUTERS, JPMorgan, D.C, Deutsche, New, of, U.S, U.S ., JPMorgan Chase & Co, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Manhattan, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona , California , Connecticut, Delaware, of Columbia, Hawaii , Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota , Mississippi , New York , Oregon , Pennsylvania, Tennessee , Utah, Vermont, U.S . Virgin Islands, York, Southern District, Southern District of New York

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Tuesday announced that a police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black man during a confrontation at a gas station. Las Cruces Police Officer Brad Lunsford was booked on the single charge and released on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for Torrez said. A voicemail left at the office of Lunsford's attorney, Jess Lilley, was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon. Lunsford drew his handgun and shot Eze once on the back left side of his head at point-blank range. The attorney general called Eze's death “another example of poor police tactics resulting in an unjustifiable use of force to subdue an individual resisting arrest for the commission of a minor crime.”

Persons: General Raúl Torrez, Brad Lunsford, Torrez, Jess Lilley, Lunsford, Presley Eze, Eze, ” Organizations: CRUCES, —, Cruces Police Locations: N.M, Mexico, Las Cruces

☆ How Native American police are fighting the crisis of missing people
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

These gaps have led Native American police Reuters met with to take matters into their own hands, some forming their own missing units. Driven by decades of Native American activism, data showing the scale of the crisis, and the appointment of the United States' first ever Native American cabinet secretary Deb Haaland, the issue of missing indigenous people entered the U.S. mainstream in the last five years. MORE AT RISKFactors ranging from poverty and a history of colonial oppression make Native American people disproportionately at risk of going missing. REUTERS/Adria Malcolm“Very few tribes have the funds and staff available to make MMIWR a priority,” said Darlene Gomez, an Albuquerque lawyer who represents families in 17 missing Native American cases. Families of victims and their lawyers say police routinely blame missing Native American women for their own disappearance due to factors such as substance abuse — and it’s not just outsiders.

Persons: Kathleen Lucero, didn’t, Lucero, ”, Isleta, “, Victor Rodriguez, Deb Haaland, Bryan Newland, ” Newland, Adria Malcolm “, Darlene Gomez, Daryl Noon, “ We've, ” Noon, Raul Torrez, Torrez, Zachariah Shorty, Vangie Randall, Shorty, Randall, Raul Bujanda, Bujanda, it’s, Jamie Yazzie, Yazzie's, Tre James, Noon, Michael Henderson, Andrew Hay, Donna Bryson, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Reuters, American, of Indian Affairs, Bay, Indian, Isleta Police Department, REUTERS, New, HOME, BIA, Unit, FBI, Navajo, Thomson Locations: ISLETA PUEBLO, N.M, Manzano, New Mexico, American, U.S, Pueblo, Albuquerque, Oklahoma, United States, Isleta Pueblo, Navajo, Arizona, Utah, Native, Albuquerque’s Bernalillo, Kirtland , New Mexico, Mexico, Washington

☆ Comstock Act: The 150-year-old chastity law that may be the next big fight over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“Comstock is really the backdoor way to remove access to abortion across the whole country,” said Greer Donley, a University of Pittsburgh Law School professor who specializes in abortion law. Severino argued that, at least when it comes to the Comstock Act’s prohibitions on mailing abortion pills, Congress is well within its powers to regulate those shipments. Several towns, some in New Mexico and elsewhere, have passed local ordinances that cite the Comstock Act and prohibit business within those jurisdictions from shipping or receiving items used for abortions in the mail, as covered by the Comstock Act. The lawsuits in New Mexico state court that those ordinances have prompted may provide for another opportunity for courts to elaborate on what the Comstock Act means. The Supreme Court, in the emergency order it issued last week, did not say anything about the Comstock Act.

☆ New Mexico asks court to overturn cities' abortion bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The move comes after the New Mexico cities of Hobbs, Clovis and two surrounding counties bordering Texas passed ordinances in recent months to restrict abortion clinics and access to abortion pills. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed an extraordinary writ in New Mexico Supreme Court to block the ordinances which he said were based on flawed interpretations of 19th century federal regulations on abortion medication. Right-to-life activists said the regulations remained valid under federal law and vowed to work on bringing such ordinances to more cities in New Mexico, the only state bordering Texas where abortion remains legal. New Mexico's largest cities of Las Cruces and Albuquerque have become regional destinations for women seeking abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court in June ended the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure. In direct response, New Mexico Democrats have drafted legislation to prevent cities from overriding state laws guaranteeing womens' rights to reproductive healthcare.

☆ New Mexico Democrats' homes, offices shot at over past month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A day after gunfire hit Torrez's office, over a dozen shots were fired at then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley's Albuquerque home on Dec. 11, police said. On Tuesday night, multiple shots were fired at the southwest Albuquerque home of state Senator Linda Lopez. On Thursday, the downtown law office of state Senator Moe Maestas was struck, police said. "They are all members of the Democratic Party that we know, so there's always that connection," Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told the press conference. Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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