41 State AGs Confront Meta About Concerning Rise in Hacked Accounts
By Movieguide® Contributor
Forty-one state attorneys general have demanded immediate action from Meta due to the “dramatic increase” in account takeovers and lockouts occurring on Facebook and Instagram.
“Account takeovers are not a new phenomenon. This issue affects all social media platforms and other online accounts as well,” the attorneys general wrote in a joint letter to Meta’s chief legal officer, Jennifer Newstead. “However, the frequency and persistence of account takeover on Meta-owned platforms puts it in a league of its own.”
During an account takeover or lockdown, a bad actor will obtain access to a legitimate user’s account before switching their passwords and locking them out. The hacker may then use the account to message friends and family to scam them or to blackmail the original user, demanding money to restore access to the account.
“Customers are reporting their utter panic when they first realize they have been effectively locked out of their accounts,” the letter said. “Users spend years building their personal and professional lives on your platforms, posting intimate thoughts, and sharing personal details, locations, and photos of family and friends. To have it taken away from them through no fault of their own can be traumatizing.”
The number of these occurrences has skyrocketed within the past five years. In 2019, the New York attorney general’s office received 73 takeover or lockout-related complaints. That number “rose more than tenfold” to 783 in 2023.
Often, account owners lose thousands of dollars through these hacks due to various factors, including loss of business, blackmail, and using credit card information stored on the platform. These bad actors have also been known to buy advertisements that violate Meta’s terms, leading to the hacked accounts being permanently banned.
Meta has since responded, claiming it is doing all it can to help, and the problem ultimately lies with users who accidentally provide the scammers with their information.
“Scammers use every platform available to them and constantly adapt to evade enforcement,” Meta said via spokesperson Erin McPike. “We invest heavily in our trained enforcement and review teams and have specialized deduction tools to identify compromised accounts and other fraudulent activity. We regularly share tips and tools people can use to protect themselves, provide a means to report potential violations, work with law enforcement and take legal action.”
Nonetheless, the state attorneys general feel Meta is not doing enough and are tired of being the ones to face the brunt of the complaints.
“We refuse to operate as the customer service representative of your company,” the joint letter said. “Proper investment in response and mitigation is mandatory.”
This is the second time in recent months that numerous state attorneys general have confronted Meta about its company’s improper practices.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia are suing Meta for building addictive features into its technology that harm children’s well-being.
“Our bipartisan investigation has arrived at a solemn conclusion: Meta has been harming our children and teens, cultivating addiction to boost corporate profits,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“We have a youth mental health crisis in the United States,” added Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. “The young people were brought down rabbit holes.”
To hold Meta accountable for this alleged business practice, thirty-three states are filing a joint lawsuit against the company, while eight states and Washington D.C. are filing separate complaints in federal, state or local courts.
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