Fault lines

As widely reported, Meta has settled a lawsuit brought against it by 52 American state and local attorneys general representing most states, the District of Columbia, and several territories The company will, Cecilia Kang and Eli Tan report at the New York Times, pay up to $17.1 billion or, as CNBC has it, $16.7 billion, to be split among the participating states. The higher settlement number includes more than $459 million for claims relating to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. At the Guardian, Aisha Down speculates how the settlement might give weight to the many other claims around the world that remain unaddressed. Even just within the US many other lawsuits relating to child safety are stacked waiting for takeoff. Few are impressed by the payout; at the Guardian, Chris Stokel-Walker calls it chump change, given that Meta’s profit last year was about £60 billion – and it’s to be paid out over a decade. Seen as more of a win is that the settlement requires change: Meta will impose…