We live in an age where technology dictates daily life. The regulations surrounding social media and technology companies are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly advancing world of tech. This year, court cases surrounding the danger posed by tech companies, artificial intelligence and social media have been yielding landmark decisions in state and federal courts.
In late March, two separate juries in California and New Mexico found tech giant Meta Platforms to be guilty of creating and promoting platforms engineered intentionally to be addictive. In Los Angeles, CA, Meta was found guilty of contributing to the mental health struggles of a young girl who began using their platforms as a child. She was awarded $6 million in damages.
Meanwhile, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect young users from online predators, making the state the first in the nation to prevail in trial against a major tech company for harming young people. According to NPR, “The company could face even more penalties in a second phase of the trial set to start in May, over whether Meta created a public nuisance.”
In Maine, lawmakers approved a statewide moratorium — a temporary, legally authorized suspension — of new data centers. Data centers are environmentally harmful and, according to The New York Times, at least six other states are considering implementing the same measures.
In April, a jury found tech company Live Nation Entertainment, owner of Ticketmaster, guilty of operating as a monopoly following complaints of inflated ticket fees and stifled competition. In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James said that the case “found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process.” Live Nation has since agreed to cap ticket fees at 15 percent of the ticket price and includes a $280 million settlement fund for state damages.
Last week, Elon Musk took OpenAI to court as an investor, alleging that OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman have breached the company’s founding non-profit contract. This case is expected to last for a month, as Musk is seeking over $130 billion in damages, removal of leadership and for OpenAI to return to a nonprofit status.
These landmark cases have set landmark precedents of regulating consumer protection and corporate accountability in the tech world.