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
Trump’s science and tech man lays out White House’s global AI strategy
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U.S. policy is often reported through announcements, personalities and regulatory skirmishes. Far less attention is paid to the economic mechanisms that actually move structures and determine outcomes.
To understand how the White House is organizing a multipronged strategy for AI adoption and export, and how its pieces are meant to work together in practice, I had an exclusive sit down with Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Tanvi Ratna: The fundamental issue you speak about at the summit is the widening AI adoption gap between the developed and developing world. What makes that a concern for the White House right now?
Michael Kratsios: The divergence in AI adoption between developed and developing countries is growing every day. We see the world in two broad categories, and different tools are needed for each.
Developing countries are at risk of falling behind at a fundamental inflection point. That is why we urge them to prioritize AI adoption in sectors that deliver concrete benefits: healthcare, education, energy infrastructure, agriculture, and citizen-facing government services.
Michael Kratsios testifies before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness on Capitol Hill on Sept. 10, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
For too long, countries seeking development support faced a false choice. We believe the American AI Exports Program offers a different path: trusted best-in-class technology, financing to overcome adoption barriers, and deployment support, so governments can learn how and where to use these tools.
America remains the undisputed leader in AI, from GPUs to data centers to frontier models and applications. That leadership brings with it a responsibility to share the foundations of a new era of innovation. We stand ready to work with partners around the world so creativity, freedom and prosperity shape today’s technological revolution.
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Tanvi Ratna: A lot of governments say they want AI leadership. Your delegation came in talking about real AI sovereignty, rejecting global governance, and launching an export program with multiple prongs. What is fundamentally different about this approach, and how should countries understand the system you’re building?
Michael Kratsios: The hope of the United States is that the pursuit of real AI sovereignty, the adoption and deployment of sovereign infrastructure, sovereign data, sovereign models and sovereign policies within national borders and under national control, will become an occasion for bilateral diplomacy, international development, and global economic dynamism. The American AI Exports Program exists to make that happen.
Real AI sovereignty means owning and using best-in-class technology for the benefit of your people, and charting your national destiny in the midst of global transformations. We urge nations to focus on strategic autonomy alongside rapid AI adoption rather than aiming for full self-sufficiency. AI adoption cannot lead to a brighter future if it is subject to bureaucracies and centralized control.
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We deeply believe that the best pathway for the developing world to fully realize the untold benefits of AI is through the adoption of the American AI stack. The American AI stack has the best chips, the best models and the best applications in the world, and that is what countries ultimately need to deploy AI effectively.
Tanvi Ratna: When you say the American AI stack, are you talking about selling products, or shaping the foundation on which countries build while keeping sensitive data under national control?
Michael Kratsios: Working with the American AI stack allows nations to build on the best technologies in the world while keeping sensitive data within their borders. Independent partners are critical to unlocking the prosperity AI adoption can deliver. That is why the president launched the American AI Exports Program.
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American companies can build large, independent AI infrastructure with secure and robust supply chains that minimize backdoor risk. They build it, and it belongs to the country deploying it.
Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaks at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 21, 2026.
Tanvi Ratna: If this is an adoption strategy, then cost and complexity become the bottlenecks. Your public remarks emphasize financing and deployment sophistication as the two biggest hurdles for developing countries. How are you actually removing those barriers?
Michael Kratsios: Developing countries face two major obstacles to AI adoption. One is financing. The AI stack is expensive. Through the energy and material demands of its infrastructure, it brings the digital transformation of our world back into physical reality. Data centers, semiconductors, power production all require real labor and real resources.
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The second barrier is a deficit in the technical sophistication needed to deploy AI tools effectively. To address this, we announced a U.S. government-wide suite of support initiatives to facilitate global adoption of trusted AI systems, create a competitive and interoperable AI ecosystem, and advance the American AI Exports Program in both developed and developing partner nations.
Tanvi Ratna: Spell out that suite. What are the prongs, capital, integration, standards, execution, and which agencies are being activated?
Michael Kratsios: We unveiled a new set of initiatives across the federal government supporting the American AI Exports Program, which was launched by executive order last July.
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The first new initiative within it is the National Champions Initiative. It is designed to include the leading technology companies of partner countries directly into the American AI stack. We want the best technologies from all our partners and allies to be part of that ecosystem wherever the American AI stack goes.
The second is a full suite of financing and funding opportunities. We are mobilizing support through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Export Import Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and a new World Bank fund, with additional programs launched by Treasury and other parts of the U.S. government. The message is simple: this is serious. Every possible financing avenue is being brought to bear.
The third is the creation of the U.S. Tech Corps. It is a reimagining of how the Peace Corps can make an impact in the modern era. We are seeking Americans with technical backgrounds who can help deploy American technology abroad, because there is no better tool to drive economic development, health improvements, and quality of life gains than AI.
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And finally, we believe one of the fastest ways to drive global adoption is through standards, particularly as the next wave of innovation centers on AI agents. How those agents communicate and coordinate their actions will benefit from unified standards, which is why NIST has launched a dedicated initiative.
Tanvi Ratna: The National Champions Initiative is easy to misunderstand. Critics hear American stack and assume dependency. Your framing suggests the opposite, integrating partner champions so countries do not have to choose between importing the stack and building domestic capability. Is that the point?
Michael Kratsios: Exactly. To integrate partner nation companies with the American AI stack and ensure that no country has to choose between completing the stack and developing domestic AI, we established the National Champions Initiative. Partners need the opportunity to build native technology industries, and facilitating that is a core part of the exports program.
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Tanvi Ratna: You have also criticized previous U.S. approaches to AI diffusion for restricting partners. What did that get wrong strategically?
Michael Kratsios: The previous approach treated partners as second-tier actors with significant restrictions on access to advanced technology. That was a lose-lose AI diplomacy strategy. It cut off partners from the best technology and limited American companies from competing globally.
Under President Trump, the United States is rethinking how it advances international development and how technology can deliver lasting impact. We believe both developed and developing countries can build sovereign AI capability if given the chance.
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Tanvi Ratna: Let’s talk about the Tech Corps, because it would be easy to dismiss it as a feel-good addition. In your model, it sounds like an execution layer. What would these teams actually do on the ground?
Michael Kratsios: These will be like Peace Corps volunteers, except the focus is on technology. We are looking for people with technical backgrounds who want to help implement AI solutions.
If a country wants to improve agriculture through precision farming, apply AI to healthcare systems to improve hospital efficiency, or modernize digital public services, American technologists through the Tech Corps and the Peace Corps will be able to support those efforts.
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A lot of young people today care deeply about real-world impact. What is special about this moment is that the United States has incredible technology, the best chips, models, and applications, and we are being more deliberate about sharing it.
Tanvi Ratna: You put unusual emphasis on AI agents and interoperability. Why does the White House see standards as a strategic lever now?
Michael Kratsios: The next wave of AI innovation over the next year or two will center on agents. How those agents communicate and orchestrate their actions would benefit greatly from unified standards. NIST has launched an initiative to develop standards for agents, so these systems can interoperate securely and effectively.
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Tanvi Ratna: You also linked this export architecture to supply chains, from chips to data centers to power and minerals. Where does Pax Silica fit? Is it the hard backbone complement to the adoption layer?
Michael Kratsios: Pax Silica is a broader alliance focused on supply chain challenges that the United States and many partner nations have faced. It is a small, select group of countries working together to alleviate these challenges. India is a tremendous addition.
AI adoption depends on secure physical inputs. The AI stack is tangible: data centers, semiconductors, power generation. Pax Silica helps address those vulnerabilities while the exports program accelerates adoption. They are complementary.
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Tanvi Ratna: Since India hosted the summit and joined Pax Silica, what role do you see for India within this strategy?
Michael Kratsios: India is a technology powerhouse. It graduates an incredible number of engineers, has deep domestic talent, and is building strong products and applications. We look forward to working with them.
India has long been a strong partner in how the United States shares technology abroad. Our major hyperscalers have data centers and research operations here and employ large numbers of Indian engineers. We believe many Indian companies can ultimately become part of the American AI stack.
Tanvi Ratna: When critics frame this as being about China, you resist that characterization. How does the administration view competition?
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Michael Kratsios: We do not see this as being about any one competitor. This is about the fact that the United States has the best AI technology in the world, and many countries want it in their ecosystems. We are excited to share it and build mutually beneficial partnerships globally.
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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)
Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
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.
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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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- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
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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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