The Meta Mega Lawsuit is Set to Go to Court on Tuesday

BlockBeats News, August 18th, the trial of Meta Platforms(META.O) on charges of harming child safety and privacy infringement is set to begin on Tuesday local time. States have accused Meta of intentionally designing features that addict teenagers and unlawfully collecting data of children under 13.

According to Meta's own estimate, if the company loses the lawsuit, it could face fines of up to $1.4 trillion, nearly equivalent to its total market value, and unprecedented in legal history. States also demand that Meta change the operation model of Facebook and Instagram, including removing features like the number of likes and infinite scrolling.

If Meta were to pay the full $1.4 trillion claim amount, it would face the risk of bankruptcy and state government takeover. Although state attorneys general have not publicly disclosed specific claim amounts, California attorney Megan O'Neal revealed last week during a court hearing that the amount is close to $193 billion, and pointed out that Meta's asserted theoretical maximum compensation amount is aimed at creating a "shock effect." Even if the claim amount is lower, it would still be one of the largest litigation compensations ever, comparable to the $206 billion settlement agreement reached in 1998 between over 40 U.S. states and tobacco companies on cigarette addiction issues.