Rhode Island Sues Meta for Enabling Scam Ads

The U.S. state of Rhode Island has filed a lawsuit against Meta in state court, accusing the company of tolerating rampant scam advertisements on its social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and the messaging app WhatsApp. The suit, filed by Rhode Island's attorney general, alleges that Meta profits illegally by participating in the creation of scam ads. It is the first scam-related lawsuit against Meta brought by a U.S. state; earlier in May, Santa Clara County in California filed a similar suit. The complaint seeks civil penalties for each alleged violation of Rhode Island law, restitution for consumers, disgorgement of Meta's illegal gains, and a court order requiring Meta to fix scam ads on its platforms rather than profit from them. Meta said it will defend itself, calling the lawsuit "without merit," and noted that it regularly works with law enforcement to combat scam networks. (CCTV News)