U.S. prosecutors in Virginia are probing whether Meta's social media platforms facilitated and profited from the illegal sale of drugs, WSJ reported.

U.S. prosecutors in Virginia are probing whether Facebook-parent Meta’s social media platforms facilitated and profited from the illegal sale of drugs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing documents and people familiar with the matter.

The prosecutors sent subpoenas last year and have been asking questions as part of a criminal grand jury probe, the report said, adding that they have also been requesting records related to drug content or illicit sale of drugs via Meta’s platforms.

The Food and Drug Administration has also been helping with the investigation, the newspaper added. It noted that investigations do not always lead to charges of wrongdoing.

  • horsey@lemm.eeEnglish
    102·
    8 months ago

    That’s fine but shady people selling likely counterfeit drugs to just anyone including kids isn’t helping anything. I agree it’s an effect of drug prohibition. However, the same shitty lack of moderation also enables crimes that you might agree are a problem such as child grooming and human trafficking.

    • Revan343@lemmy.ca
      92·
      8 months ago

      shady people selling likely counterfeit drugs isn’t helping anything

      Well it’s helping get drugs to the people that want drugs, which is better than the government is doing.

      If the government doesn’t want counterfeit (which is vague and stupid; counterfeit Xanax that is perfectly fine alprazolam? Cool. Counterfeit heroin that is actually mostly fentanyl? Not cool) drugs, maybe they should stop creating the conditions that encourage counterfeit drugs.

      • horsey@lemm.eeEnglish
        26·
        8 months ago

        Wow, I underestimated how upset the Lemmy community would be about saying that meta and people selling fake drugs on Instagram are total shit. If you want to take unknown chemicals from some spam account on instagram, please, by all means, go ahead.

        I feel like drugs like Xanax are sufficiently addictive and dangerous that they shouldn’t be freely available. The prescription system is fine and no, shitbags shouldn’t be selling them to 14 year olds on Instagram. You don’t seem to understand that by counterfeit, I’m not concerned about the brand name, more that it could contain RCs, toxic chemicals, unpredictable doses, no Xanax at all… who knows.

        • Revan343@lemmy.ca
          31·
          8 months ago

          You don’t seem to understand that by counterfeit, I’m not concerned about the brand name

          You don’t seem to understand what the word ‘counterfeit’ means.

          • horsey@lemm.eeEnglish
            11·
            8 months ago

            I sure do, thanks - counterfeit drugs are frequently not only imitations of brand names, but are unsafe. Why not let the FDA help you here?

            https://www.fda.gov/drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely/counterfeit-medicine

            Counterfeit (fake or falsified) medicines may be harmful to your health because while being passed off as authentic, may contain the wrong ingredients, contain too much, too little or no active ingredient at all or contain other harmful ingredients.

            Hope that helps.