Security News > 2024 > February > Nevada sues to deny kids access to Meta's Messenger encryption

A law firm acting on behalf of the Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has asked a state court to issue a temporary restraining order denying minors access to encrypted communication in Meta's Messenger application.

The legal claim cites a statement from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that argues Meta's provision of end-to-end encryption in Messenger "Without exceptions for child sexual abuse material placed millions of children in grave danger."

The motion for a TRO, which also contains redactions, contends that Meta - by encrypting Messenger - has thwarted state officials from enforcing the Nevada Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

"With this Motion, the State seeks to enjoin Meta from using end-to-end encryption on Young Users' Messenger communications within the State of Nevada," the court filing says.

The injunction, if granted, would require Meta to disable E2EE for all Messenger users under 18 in Nevada.

"The FTC and other state attorneys general, such as California's, have long been clear that it is a consumer protection violation for companies not to give users adequate digital privacy and security - and strong encryption is the gold standard means of doing that. It's therefore puzzlingly backwards for the Nevada attorney general to argue that Meta is violating Nevada consumer protection law here."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/02/26/nevada_meta_encryption/