MANILA, Philippines – CNBC on Monday, February 12, reported that US senators escalated their demand for an explanation from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding an Instagram “warning screen,” behind which potential child sex abuse material may appear. 

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The demand letter was first obtained by CNBC. 

Zuckerberg, according to the letter, has 11 days to provide more information on the warning screen, and how Meta’s platforms handled child sex abuse material. 

The letter is a follow-up demand, following a January 31 US Senate hearing where Zuckerberg testified along with X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and Discord CEO Jason Citron. 

One senator accused the tech companies of having “blood on your hands” for failing to protect children on the platform, amid mental health issues relating to social media use, and the rising trend of “sextortion” from minors by sexual predators. 

One of the letter’s authors, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, questioned Zuckerberg about the warning screen during the hearing. 

The warning screen reportedly appeared when one would use search terms that brought up potential child sex abuse content. The warning screen would either let the user turn away, or “See results anyway.” Choosing the latter option would allow the user to see the violative content. 

The core question: Why did Instagram host such content in the first place, and left it to the user to decide whether they want to see it or not? 

The warning screen, CNBC reported, had been removed in June 2023, but only after a report made by The Wall Street Journal.

The letter also asked whether Meta conducted investigations on users who clicked to see the results, details on why the warning screen was developed and displayed, as well as how many profiles of minors were shown behind the warning screen, said CNBC. – Rappler.com