Interviews with 70+ sources describe how Facebook and Instagram have become major sales platforms for child trafficking and can often be slow to remove content
Our two-year investigation suggests that the tech giant Meta is struggling to prevent criminals from using its platforms to buy and sell children for sex Tweets: @anniekelly , @hrrbfiresafety , @gdnlongread , @katiemcque , @davidedgarwolf , @missingchildeu , @daithaigilbert , and @mlmcnamara Tweets: Annie Kelly / @anniekelly : “She didn't know how to make it stop”: How Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking. Deeply reported over two years by @MLMcNamara and @katiemcque for @guardian's Rights and Freedom reporting project and @gdnlongread. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... Phil Murphy / @hrrbfiresafety : “When I was trafficked long ago I was advertised in the classified sections of freesheet newspapers... Now my youth here are trafficked on Instagram. It's exactly the same business model but you just don't have to pay to place an ad.” https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @gdnlongread : 'She didn't know how to make it stop': how Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking https://www.theguardian.com/ ... Katie McQue / @katiemcque : Facebook & Instagram are being used by sex traffickers to buy and sell children, & much of these cases are going unreported by Meta, my 2-year investigation with @MLMcNamara reveals. Huge thanks to our editors @anniekelly @davidedgarwolf @henrosefield https://www.theguardian.com/ ... David Wolf / @davidedgarwolf : “They don't care shit about us.” Meta's platforms have become major sales platforms for child trafficking - and many of the 70 sources we interviewed felt powerless to get the company to act. Amazing two-year investigation by @katiemcque & @MLMcNamara https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @missingchildeu : Disturbing findings from @guardian's investigation reveal how Facebook and Instagram are being used as marketplaces for child sex trafficking. The responsibility falls on tech giant Meta to prevent this horrific crime on their platforms. #ChildSafetyON https://www.theguardian.com/ ... David Gilbert / @daithaigilbert : Zuckerberg is happy to spend $1B EVERY MONTH on his bullshit metaverse project, but can't spend $3,000 to get @tina4freedom to train his staff how to stop child trafficking on his apps.... This investigation from @katiemcque and @MLMcNamara is horrifying https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Mei-Ling McNamara / @mlmcnamara : In an interview, Meta told us they do everything to stop child trafficking on their platforms. Our investigation: “Between 2009 and 2019, Meta reported just three cases as suspected child sex trafficking in the US.” https://www.theguardian.com/ ...