New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez won a historic sum of $375 million in a landmark child safety case against Meta earlier this year. But the next stage of the fight could be even more consequential for Meta and the social media industry at large.
Technology
The TikTok deal is done, finally
TikTok USDS Joint Venture’s mandate is to secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures. It will safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications.
Data Protection: U.S. user data will be protected by USDS Joint Venture in Oracle’s secure U.S. cloud environment. The Joint Venture will operate a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program that is audited and certified by third party cybersecurity experts. The program will adhere to major industry standards, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) CSF and 800-53 and ISO 27001 as well as the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Security Requirements for Restricted Transactions.
Algorithm Security: The Joint Venture will retrain, test, and update the content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data. The content recommendation algorithm will be secured in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment.
Software Assurance: The Joint Venture will secure U.S. apps through software assurance protocols, and review and validate source code on an ongoing basis, assisted by its Trusted Security Partner, Oracle.
Trust & Safety: The Joint Venture will safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem and have decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and content moderation.
TikTok USDS Joint Venture has three managing investors, Silver Lake, Oracle and MGX, each holding 15%. Completing the full consortium of investors are: Dell Family Office, the investment firm of Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; Vastmere Strategic Investments, LLC, an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group, LLP; Alpha Wave Partners; Revolution; Merritt Way, LLC controlled and managed by partners of Dragoneer; Via Nova, an affiliate of General Atlantic; Virgo LI, Inc., investment arm of a foundation established by Yuri and Julia Milner in support of science; and NJJ Capital, the family office of Xavier Niel, a French entrepreneur and pioneer in telecommunications. ByteDance retains 19.9% of the Joint Venture.
Beginning Monday, attorneys for Meta and New Mexico will return to a Santa Fe courthouse for a three-week public nuisance trial, where they’ll argue over the changes the AG wants the judge to order Meta make to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Those changes include adding age verification for New Mexico users, prohibiting end-to-end encryption for users under 18 and capping their use to 90 hours per month, limiting engagement-boosting features like infinite scroll and autoplay, and requiring Meta to detect 99 percent of new child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“From the outset, our goal was to try and change the way the company’s doing business,” Torrez told The Verge on a recent visit to Washington, DC, to advocate for new kids safety legislation. “I recognize that even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business. In fact, there’s probably some folks in that company who think of it as the cost of doing business.”
“Even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business”
While any changes ordered by the judge would only apply to Meta and its operations in New Mexico, the company could apply the changes in other states for the sake of simplicity. Or, as it’s threatened to do, it could simply go dark in the state. A court order could send a message to other tech companies that courts may be willing to alter their businesses if they’re found liable.
During the trial, New Mexico will argue Meta has become a public nuisance by creating a public health hazard in the state. The AG’s office expects to call on about 15 witnesses, including experts who will testify to the feasibility of their proposed remedies, and fact witnesses who will testify about Meta’s alleged harms. After Meta makes its defense, Judge Bryan Biedscheid will evaluate which proposals are relevant and feasible — a process that could take some time, compared to the speedy turnaround of the jury verdict in March.
A sweeping win for New Mexico could energize Torrez and thousands of other plaintiffs currently pursuing cases against tech companies. Conversely, a limited order could be a significant blow. The outcome won’t directly impact other cases, but it will almost certainly color negotiations over potential settlements.
Several of Torrez’s requests are hot-button tech policy issues. Age verification would almost certainly require Meta or a third-party provider to collect more personal information on adults and minors alike, which privacy advocates have consistently warned can make users less safe. Don McGowan, who previously served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said that barring encrypted communications on platforms like Facebook “is a great way to make sure that nobody uses Facebook Messenger anymore and just moves their activity to other platforms that aren’t touched by this lawsuit.”
The mandate may do little to change the reality of certain parts of the business — Meta recently announced it was getting rid of end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram that it said “very few people” actually used.
Peter Chapman, associate director of the Knight-Georgetown Institute, which works to connect policymakers and others with independent tech policy research, said there could be “significant tradeoffs” to a prohibition on encryption, and other changes may be more effective. For example, evidence presented by the state showed that Meta’s own profile recommendations were connecting adults and minors, a feature that poses a clearer danger of harm without much benefit, and which Torrez is also asking the court to stop. “There’s an opportunity to intervene at that level and try to prevent more of these harmful interactions from taking place without having to tackle encryption,” said Chapman.
No single feature change is likely to solve the entire child and teen safety problem, said Chapman, which is why it’s notable that Torrez plans to ask for several layers of changes. Still, the overall effectiveness of any given remedy will also depend on how it’s implemented and monitored. For instance, what would be the methodology Meta uses to report a 99 percent detection rate of new CSAM? How does it count or surmise what it hasn’t caught? The same goes for the accuracy and reliability of any mandated age verification.
Meta points to this potential issue in its argument against Torrez’s proposed remedies. “Regardless of where the accuracy threshold is set, Meta would never be able to prove that the system met that standard, because doing the calculation would require that Meta detect 100% of CSAM to use as the denominator,” the company wrote in a legal filing. Torrez’s chief deputy, James Grayson, said on a press call that the court and an appointed independent monitor would have some discretion over tracking; the office hasn’t yet identified who this monitor would be.
“The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation”
Meta and other groups that oppose the AG’s approach say the outcomes he’s seeking are counterproductive. “The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation,” said Maureen Flatley, president of Stop Child Predators, a group that advocates for more funding for enforcement of criminal laws against child predators, and has received funding from Meta-backed trade group NetChoice. “This notion that the platforms have to be responsible for pushing all these people out would be like saying to the US Bankers Association, ‘By the way, you are responsible for all the bank robberies from now on,’ which is ludicrous.”
“The New Mexico Attorney General’s focus on a single platform is a misguided strategy that ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use daily,” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement. “The state’s proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans. Regardless, we remain committed to providing safe, age-appropriate experiences and have already launched many of the protections the state seeks, including 13 safety measures this past year.”
But Torrez has taken aim at the broader tech industry, too. He recently visited Washington, DC, to advocate for new protections for kids online and an overhaul of Section 230, the law that protects tech platforms from being held liable for their users’ posts. “While we were able to prevail in our district court in Santa Fe, I still think the law as it currently exists creates a lot of ambiguity,” he told The Verge on that visit. “If Section 230 were not something that these companies could hide behind, then it increases the chances that they’re going to have to actually make their case to a jury.”
But Chapman said regulation through lawsuits isn’t an “uncommon sort of story” in the US. “Whether that’s tobacco, opioids, e-cigarettes, there is precedent for legal action moving a broader policy conversation.”
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Earlier this year, more than 25 million Americans began receiving letters from a company most of them had never heard of. The sender was Conduent Business Services, a contractor that processes benefits records and human resources data for state Medicaid programs, employer health plans and government agencies. Between October 2024 and January 2025, ransomware operators pulled names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, medical diagnosis codes and health insurance claim numbers out of Conduent’s systems. In February 2026, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called it the largest data breach in U.S. history.
The letters ended the way most of these letters end, with an apology, a phone number and an offer of one year of free credit monitoring. Once your data is already out, can you realistically protect your identity on your own, or has it become something most people are better off outsourcing?
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Massive data breaches continue to expose sensitive personal information, leaving millions at risk of identity theft. (Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images)
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What you can do for free today
Federal law and tools from the Federal Trade Commission cover more ground than many people realize. None of these cost anything. When used together, they close the most common entry points fraudsters target.
1) Freeze your credit
Start by freezing your credit at all three bureaus. A freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. It has been free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion since 2018. You can lift it temporarily when you need to apply for credit.
2) Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN
Next, get an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS at irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin. This six-digit code blocks fraudulent tax returns filed using your Social Security number. The IRS issues a new one each year.
3) Check your credit reports regularly
You should also check your credit reports regularly. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion now offer free weekly access through AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking once every few months can help you catch suspicious activity early.
4) Use IdentityTheft.gov for recovery
It also helps to bookmark IdentityTheft.gov. The site creates a personalized recovery plan, generates the affidavit creditors require and provides prefilled dispute letters.
5) Opt out of prescreened credit offers
Another simple step is opting out of prescreened credit offers. This removes you from mailing lists lenders use for unsolicited credit and insurance offers. You can do this online at OptOutPrescreen at optoutprescreen.com, which is run by the major credit bureaus. The process takes just a few minutes. Choose a five-year opt-out for a quick fix, or print and mail the form for a permanent opt-out. Once processed, you should see fewer “pre-approved” offers in your mailbox.
Free tools can help protect your identity, but they often require time, effort and ongoing attention. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
6) Turn on two-factor authentication
Finally, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for every financial, government and benefits account. Even if someone steals your password, they cannot access your account without the second factor.
For many people, these steps create a strong baseline.
When DIY identity monitoring falls short
The do-it-yourself approach works until something goes wrong. That is where the gap becomes clear.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2025 Consumer Impact Report, the average victim spent more than 200 hours and $1,343 out of pocket recovering from identity theft. About one in five reported losses above $100,000. Many also reported significant emotional stress.
The financial impact adds up quickly at a national level. A February 2026 report from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee estimates identity theft tied to major data broker breaches has cost Americans more than $20 billion over the past decade. That estimate includes incidents like Equifax, Exactis, National Public Data and TransUnion.
Free tools also have clear limits. They will not monitor the dark web for your data or remove your personal details from data broker sites. They also cannot contact creditors or dispute fraudulent accounts on your behalf.
Instead, you handle every step yourself. IdentityTheft.gov gives you a roadmap, but you still have to make the calls, file the paperwork and follow up repeatedly.
SSA IMPERSONATION SCAMS ARE GETTING MORE PERSONAL
What paid identity protection services add
For anyone whose data was exposed in a breach like Conduent or National Public Data, free tools alone leave real gaps. That is where paid identity protection services come in.
These services run continuous scans for your name, Social Security number, email and bank accounts on the dark web, as well as across data broker and people search sites that resell your home address and family ties. They submit opt-out requests on your behalf and repeat the process when your information shows up again. When fraud happens, many services assign a case manager who works with credit bureaus, banks and creditors to help resolve the issue.
Some plans also include identity theft insurance and dedicated fraud resolution support, which can help cover certain losses and reduce the time it takes to recover.
Paid services have limits. No service can prevent every breach, and even the best monitoring only helps shorten recovery time. The do-it-yourself approach can still work if you are comfortable managing your own checklist. However, for families, for anyone already exposed in past breaches and for those who want less hands-on involvement, adding a paid service on top of free protections can make the process easier to manage.
See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at CyberGuy.com
Paid identity protection services can monitor, alert and step in when fraud happens, helping reduce the burden on you. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Most people can handle the basics of identity protection on their own, at least at first. Free tools cover the biggest risks and help block common types of fraud. However, the situation changes once your data is exposed in a major breach. At that point, monitoring, cleanup and follow-up can turn into a long and frustrating process. That is where paid services can make a real difference. They reduce the workload, track exposure across more sources and step in when fraud happens. Still, no service eliminates risk completely. The decision comes down to how much time you want to invest and how much support you would need if something goes wrong. For many households, a layered approach works best. Start with the free protections, then decide if adding a paid service fits your situation.
If your identity were stolen tomorrow, would you have the time and patience to fix it yourself? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com
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I’ll never stop gushing about 2-in-1 USB-C cables. They’re really nice to have because, at this point, I’ve amassed so many devices that charge via USB-C. It’s also common for more than one to need to be recharged at a time, which is where they come in handy. I can charge my Nintendo Switch 2 and work-issued MacBook Air, or my Google Pixel 9 Pro and Kindle, without taking up more than one port on the power adapter.
A couple of models that offer up to 140W passthrough charging speeds are currently matching their lowest price to date — including Anker’s braided option, which is available from Amazon and Anker in black or white starting at $14.99 ($3 off). If you don’t mind paying a bit more for a slightly longer cable, Native Union’s recycled 6.5-foot Belt Cable, which features an animal-free leather strap, is down to $23.99 ($6 off) in black or a zebra-like pattern directly from the manufacturer.
While the two cables are slightly different lengths, functionality is identical. Both cables support USB 2.0 speeds topping out at 480 Mbps when connected to a data source, and only the first device connected to the two-headed cable can transfer data. They can also automatically allocate power across devices, depending on the speed of your wall adapter, sending more wattage to the higher-powered of the two devices you have plugged in.
There are plenty of wall adapters that pair well with these cables, too, the kind that deliver zippy charging speeds to your connected devices. One example is Anker’s own four-port 140W charger, which offers three USB-C ports and a USB-A port. Normally $99.99, it’s currently down to $79.99 at Amazon for Prime members.
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