The Wall Street Journal report also says the Food and Drug Administration is helping investigate Facebook's owner.
U.S. prosecutors in Virginia are investigating whether Facebook parent Meta's social media platforms facilitated and profited from illegal drug sales, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the article published Saturday reported that prosecutors sent subpoenas last year and have been asking questions as part of a criminal grand jury investigation.
The report added that prosecutors have also been requesting records related to drug content or illicit drug sales through Meta platforms and said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been assisting with the investigation.
“The sale of illicit drugs is against our policies and we are working to find and remove this content from our services,” a Meta spokesperson told the WSJ.
“Meta proactively cooperates with law enforcement authorities to help combat the sale and distribution of illicit drugs,” he added.
Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg said on social media platform X on Friday that Meta had collaborated with the US State Department, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Snapchat to help disrupt the sale of synthetic drugs online and educate users. about the associated risks.
“The opioid epidemic is a major public health issue that requires action from all sectors of American society,” Clegg said.
The opioid epidemic is a major public health problem that requires action from all sectors of American society. That's why @Goal has joined the Alliance to Prevent Drug Harm along with the @Department of State @UNODC & @Snapchat to help disrupt the sale of synthetic drugs online + educate users…
—Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) March 15, 2024
This is not the first time that lawyers in the United States have taken Facebook's parent company to court.
Last year, several investment funds filed a lawsuit in Delaware alleging that Meta's directors and top executives have long known about rampant human trafficking and child sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram, but have failed to address predatory behavior.
David Ross, Meta's attorney, argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the company's leaders' alleged conduct has not resulted in Meta suffering “corporate trauma” as Delaware law requires. The company also argues that the lawsuit's claims are based on speculation that it could face damages or losses in the future.
In a statement, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company has spent “more than a decade fighting these horrific abuses both on and off our platforms and supporting law enforcement to arrest and prosecute the criminals behind from them”.
