Facebook has profited off of the exploitation of kids and minors: Sen. Josh Hawley
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., discusses the takeaways from four social media CEOs testifying on Capitol Hill on 'Hannity.'
Senate Judiciary Committee member Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who successfully convinced Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to rise and apologize to victims' families during a hearing on child exploitation on social media, told Fox News his platform gladly censored conservatives but has done little to stem predators.
On "Hannity," host Sean Hannity asked the lawmaker if he believes Zuckerberg knows the extent to which bad actors use Facebook and Instagram to exploit, target and sexualize children.
"He absolutely knows what's going on," Hawley replied, adding senators have heard from Facebook whistleblowers who claim to have alerted Zuckerberg's office they had collected information about potential exploitation that the executive purportedly "ignored."
"So what he should have said to the families is, 'I'm so sorry for what we've done, and we will do better'. And the way they're going to do better is they'll hold themselves accountable," he said.
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Hawley suggested Zuckerberg take 10% of his more than $140 billion net worth and allocate it to helping victims affected by exploitation on Meta platforms, and use the funds to target and remove potential sexual predators.
He noted how conservatives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, collectively surmised that Facebook was censoring or suppressing free speech on key topics like alternative antiviral pharmaceuticals, vaccine hesitancy and later dissemination of the New York Post's verified reportage about the existence and contents of Hunter Biden's laptop.
"If you question the Hunter Biden laptop, they shut you down. But yet they can't lift a finger to take sex predators off their platform? I don't buy it," Hawley said.
During the hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reminded the social media executives of a case involving a state lawmaker's son who committed suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scam on a Meta platform.
State Rep. Brandon Guffey of York County alleged in a recent Fox News Digital interview that Meta is culpable of "criminal negligence" in its creation of allegedly "addictive algorithms that target children."
In response, a Meta spokesperson said at the time the platform wants teenagers to have "safe, age-appropriate experiences online" and has resources to support them and their families.
A Meta spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that it wants "teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online," and the company has "over 30 tools and resources to support them and their parents."
Hannity alluded to the case and Graham's comments about it, and Hawley replied that only a few years ago the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported only a few hundred cases of such "sextortion," but that it increased exponentially through present-day.
"As a father that strikes fear into my heart, I know it does in the heart of every parent that's out there," he said. Zuckerberg and other executives, Hawley argued, need to be held accountable for such situations involving their platforms.
He added he believes the FBI has also been derelict in cracking down on such crimes, saying that they are instead focused on politicized postings such as critiques of Hunter Biden or election integrity.
"They're not focused on sex predators, they're focused on suppressing speech. They've got it exactly backwards," Hawley said.
"That starts with Chris Wray: He's got to go. Mark Zuckerberg, he should be on the hook personally. It's time to get these people actually focused on working for us, being responsible and doing the right thing."
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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