Media Mention
Peter Jackson Discusses Meta’s $18 Billion Settlement
Law360, Los Angeles Times, TechCrunch
Cybersecurity and Privacy Counsel Peter Jackson is featured in Law360, the Los Angeles Times, and TechCrunch, sharing his insights on Meta's $18 billion settlement with 29 states. He discusses the significant outcomes achieved through the settlement, many of which would have been difficult to secure at trial and sustain on appeal, as well as its potential to pave the way for nationwide legislation and what its age-assurance measures and enforcement carve-outs could mean for parents, companies, and future enforcement actions.
Excerpts:
Law360:
"One of the things that's interesting here is that they basically agreed to something that probably never could have been a remedy that would have been obtainable as an outcome of this trial," Jackson said.
"Now that you've gotten at least one of the largest social media platforms and its entire lobbying arm kind of behind this, it makes it a lot easier to pass legislation that corresponds to what's required by the settlement," Jackson said.
Los Angeles Times:
“You’re notching some big wins with this settlement, which would have been very difficult to achieve at trial and even more difficult to sustain on appeal,” said Peter Jackson.
“Parents are now aware months ahead of time that these controls will exist.”
“This settlement has been negotiated for a very long time,” Jackson said.
"It seems, ideally, that people would like to see legislation [in the U.S.] on this that's sort of nationwide and that sets some ground rules, and what's emerged through this settlement is a kind of rubric for how we want this to look for at least social media platforms," Jackson said, adding that this type regulatory framework is likely to be "preferable" for companies like Meta to "a world where the social view is that we shouldn't have kids on these platforms at all."
TechCrunch:
Peter Jackson agrees, saying the carve-out here could “disincentivize future enforcement actions.”
“The Settlement Agreement’s age-assurance measures bear all the hallmarks of a heavy, and perhaps hasty, negotiation,” he says.
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