Leopards Don’t Change Their Spots

Maybe I’m just too old. Maybe I’m just too cynical. Maybe it’s a combination of both. After yesterday’s news that Meta settled its lawsuit with a bevy of state attorneys general, I find my eyebrow still raised in skepticism. The bottom line of the settlement is Meta has to pay $18 billion (a pittance for Meta) over the course of 10 years and make some changes to its structure in an effort to better protect kids. On the surface that sounds like a good move to me. But there are some catches. First, that payout is only if other companies like YouTube, TikTok and Snap do the same. Apparently Snap has said it will follow along. The others remain silent as of this writing. Second, if the others follow along Meta has put itself in a position to write safety rules for everybody else. Can’t imagine that will go over well. Third, I don’t trust anything coming from Meta. This seems like a shrewd PR move to take the heat off and set Meta apart. So far the media seems to be buying it. Some of the…