Inquiry into child sexual abuse on Meta platforms leads to arrest of three men

‘This is Mark Zuckerberg’s fault,’ said New Mexico attorney general, Raúl Torrez, pictured here in Albuquerque in 2023. Photograph: Jon Austria/The Albuquerque Journal/AP

Three men have been arrested and charged with sexually preying on children via Meta’s social networks in New Mexico, the state’s attorney general announced on Wednesday.

The arrests stemmed from an investigation into the potential harm to children caused by Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, codenamed “Operation MetaPhile”. Undercover agents posed as children, whom the three men solicited for sex, according to the criminal complaint. The sting operation is part of an ongoing lawsuit launched by Raúl Torrez’s office in December that alleges Meta has allowed its social media platforms to become marketplaces for child predators.