Durbin Applauds Historic Court Ruling Against Meta

WASHINGTON – In a statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this morning, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded a New Mexico jury finding that Meta misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young users.

Key quotes:

“There isn’t a parent or grandparent alive who isn't fearful of what the hell these kids are looking at all day long and what is happening to them as a result.”

“We have had lengthy hearings in this committee with the victims and families of victims of these practices. Promises by the industry to clean up their act and protect children [have led to] failure after failure.”

“This decision, which involved a civil verdict of almost 400 million dollars against Meta, Facebook, and Instagram, is indication that Section 230 is not impregnable. That section has protected these social media vendors for a decade or more. It should be brought down.”

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“I bring this to the attention of the committee because this is one of the few issues where we universally agree on a bipartisan basis that we should act. We have voted for that over and over again and failed to bring it to the floor. This ought to be a call to action for this committee to respond on the Senate floor and actually legislate for a change, instead of what we do day after day.”

“Legislate for the benefit of these children and grandchildren. I commend Raul Torres, the Attorney General of New Mexico, for his leadership on this issue. He points the way, and I think we ought to follow through.”

Durbin has used his role on the Senate Judiciary Committee to prioritize child safety online through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts.

On January 31, 2024, while Durbin was serving as Chair, the Committee held a hearing featuring testimony from the CEOs of social media companies Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter). This hearing highlighted the ongoing risk to children and the immediate need for Congress to act on the bipartisan bills reported by the Committee.

Durbin and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) joined forces to reintroduce the bipartisan STOP CSAM Act, which would combat online child sexual abuse material. The bill passed the Judiciary Committee unanimously and awaits action on the Senate floor.

In addition, Durbin’s bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act) passed the Senate in July 2024 and again in January 2026. The legislation would hold accountable those responsible for the proliferation of nonconsensual, sexually-explicit “deepfake” images and videos. The bill awaits consideration by the House.

Durbin also introduced the Sunset Section 230 Act with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), which would repeal Section 230 two years after the date of enactment so that those harmed online can bring legal action against companies. The bill awaits consideration by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

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