In an unscripted scene during tense testimony on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Inc chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg stood before a packed US Senate hearing room and apologized directly to the families of children who were victims of sexual exploitation on social media platforms.
“I am sorry for everything that you have all gone through,” Zuckerberg said while facing a crowd of safety advocates and parents holding photos of their children. “It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
The impromptu moment came during an hours-long US Senate hearing on protecting children online. Zuckerberg had faced intense criticism and pressure from US Senator Josh Hawley, who ripped into the executive personally and blamed Meta’s photo sharing app, Instagram, for an alleged failure to protect its young users against mental health issues and exposure to sexually explicit content.
Photo: AP
Hawley challenged the Meta cofounder on whether the victims of sexual exploitation online should be compensated by companies like Meta — and Zuckerberg personally — and then prompted him to apologize directly to the families in attendance.
“Let me ask you this, there’s families of victims here today. Have you apologized to the victims?” Hawley asked. “Would you like to do so now? They’re here, you’re on national television.”
“Would you like to apologize for what you’ve done to these good people?” he added.
Zuckerberg then stood up at the table and turned around to address the audience.
Leah Juliett, an activist for youth online safety and child sexual abuse survivor who was at the hearing, had mixed reactions to Zuckerberg’s apology, but ultimately said it was not good enough.
“As a survivor, it was like, this is what I’ve wanted for 10 years,” Juliett said. “But it was so laced with excuses and justifications for the harm that it didn’t feel like a true apology, and I don’t think that I’ll ever feel like Zuckerberg or any of the other [social media company] CEOs is sorry until something genuinely changes.”
No stranger to the congressional hot seat, Zuckerberg received most of the attention and attacks during the first few hours of the hearing, despite sitting next to the CEOs of Snap Inc, TikTok, X and Discord Inc. At several points, he became visibly frustrated as senators laid into him, often talking over him.
At one point, US Senator Ted Cruz raised his voice at Zuckerberg, who pushed back.
“Senator, do you want me to answer your question?” Zuckerberg asked. “Give me some time to speak.”
US Senator Marsha Blackburn, a leading lawmaker on children’s online safety efforts, also ripped into Zuckerberg, accusing him of wanting to draw more young people to Instagram while not being able to guarantee their safety.
Blackburn said Meta was trying to thwart the committee’s attempts to pass regulation that would impose controls on social networks and also asserted that Meta aspired to be the “premier sex trafficking site” on the Internet.
Zuckerberg scoffed at the accusation.
“Of course not, senator,” he said in response. “That’s ridiculous.”
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
‘SHARP COMPETITION’: Australia is to partner with US-based Lockheed Martin to make guided multiple launch rocket systems, an Australian defense official said Australia is to ramp up missile manufacturing under a plan unveiled yesterday by a top defense official, who said bolstering weapons stockpiles would help keep would-be foes at bay. Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the nation would establish a homegrown industry to produce long-range guided missiles and other much-needed munitions. “Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia’s security environment,” Conroy said in a speech. “That competition is at its sharpest in our region, the Indo-Pacific.” Australia is to partner with US-based weapons giant Lockheed Martin to make
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Although the human dead usually get their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different. The holiday has roots in Mexican pre-Hispanic customs, as does the reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife, and were sometimes given
RSS