Meta's alleged strategy: hook, hold, harvest, hide, as landmark trial opens
Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta's alleged strategy laid out in first week
In the first week of a landmark trial in Oakland, California, a lawyer for the state described Meta's business model as 'hook, hold, harvest, hide,' alleging it works especially well for kids. California and 28 other states accuse Meta of violating child privacy laws by collecting data on under-13s without parental consent. The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, could result in damages up to $200bn. Former safety engineer Arturo Béjar testified that Meta ignored his warnings about teen harm on Instagram.
Meta is taking a 'don't ask, don't tell' strategy when it comes to child safety.
- Aurornis
In the opening sentence:
> according to a lawyer who is prosecuting the world’s largest social media company.
The headline makes it sound like something internal at Meta got revealed. The catchy four-H phrase is the clever hook the lawyer came up with to try to hold the jury’s mind through the case.
If you’re unfamiliar with how these trials work, the lawyers are trying to create a compelling narrative to support their case and catchy phrases that sound like marketing lingo are often used. This wasn’t some internal Meta doc that got revealed.
- phyzix5761
I hope people can see Meta is funding the other side in order to get Child Safety laws passed so they can have an out when children use their parent's device and Meta spies on them. Child Safety laws are just mass surveillance in disguise which has always been Meta's game plan since day one.
- erelong
Sounds like the lawyer's spinning what any successful business does with trying to acquire customers and serve their needs as though they were dealing drugs (granted, the line can be blurry between things that are simply enjoyable versus that which is more strongly addictive - some people get "addicted" to eating, but we can't really ban food, for example)
- koolala
This HHHH strategy phrase is made up by these lawyers. It's not like the Microsoft version their mimicking where Microsoft actually said it. It makes the headline misleading like it alleges they said it internally as their strategy.
- blagie
I think what's missing here is elderly.
Arguably, that's even more harmful.
- jochem9
- bentt
Let’s be clear: Meta is Zuckerberg.
- jdejean
I hate when people say things like “Google did this” or “Meta did that.” There are actual named humans making these decisions. I want them found and held accountable. As of late these people have more power than ever. A single contributor at a company like Meta can make a change that impacts 0.025% of users (potentially hundreds of thousands of people) with zero notice or oversight, for their own individual gain. Not even to mention the systemic decisions this article describes.