Moody calls on Zuckerberg to testify about the use of Meta platforms in human trafficking cases

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking about the results of a “concerning Florida human trafficking survey.”

Moody sent a letter that said their findings showed that “146 of the 271 reported instances of social media platform use in human trafficking are attributable to Meta platforms.”

Moody invited Zuckerberg to testify about “what Meta plans to do to stop human traffickers from using its platforms to advance this horrific crime.”

Meta includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.

The council worked with law enforcement agencies to review instances in which social media “may have been used to facilitate human trafficking.”

The next council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 2. Moody is requesting a response from Zuckerberg by Sept. 5. 

“Before launching new products or wasting time preparing for a cage match that will likely never happen, Zuckerberg should be working to make Meta’s existing platforms safer for users and to prevent vulnerable people from being forced into illicit sex work,” Moody said in a press release.

Moody said the findings of the statewide survey and other reports “make it clear that Meta platforms are the preferred social media applications for human traffickers looking to prey on vulnerable people.”

“Zuckerberg needs to immediately turn his attention to this public safety threat and testify to our council about what Meta is doing to prevent its platforms from being used to assist, facilitate or support human trafficking,” Moody said.

Moody and the council conducted a statewide study with law enforcement agencies on documented instances since 2019 in which social media is used to facilitate human trafficking, trafficking operations or control victims.

The survey went out to 80 law enforcement agencies, going to all 67 sheriffs’ offices and police departments in major cities.

According to the 2022 Federal Human Trafficking Report, Facebook was the top platform used in recruitment of human trafficking victims from 2019-2022. Facebook and Instagram combined to make up 60% of the top ten platforms included in the study. 

To read the letter Attorney General Moody sent to Zuckerberg, click here.

To view the full press release and report, click here.