New York: According to sources familiar with the matter, US prosecutors in Virginia are investigating whether Meta, the parent company of Facebook, facilitated and profited from the illegal sale of drugs through its social media platforms, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.
Subpoenas were reportedly issued last year, and inquiries have been made as part of a criminal grand jury investigation. The prosecutors have been seeking records related to drug-related content or the illicit sale of drugs on Meta’s platforms.
The investigation has also garnered assistance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although the outcome of such inquiries doesn’t always result in charges being filed.
A Meta spokesperson was quoted by the newspaper stating, “The sale of illicit drugs is against our policies, and we work diligently to identify and remove such content from our services.” The spokesperson emphasized Meta’s proactive cooperation with law enforcement authorities in combating the sale and distribution of illicit drugs.
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Both the prosecutors’ office and a spokesperson for the FDA declined to provide comments to the Wall Street Journal.
Requests for comments from Meta, the FDA, and the Virginia Attorney General’s office went unanswered at the time of Reuters’ inquiry.
In a statement made on social media platform X, Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, disclosed that Meta had partnered with the US State Department, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Snapchat to disrupt the online sale of synthetic drugs and to educate users about associated risks.
