{
  "id": 2537295,
  "title": "Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/hook-hold-harvest-and-hide-metas-alleged-strategy-laid-out-in-first-2537295",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-22T08:00:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Technology",
    "slug": "guardian-technology",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/22/meta-trial-children-privacy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the opening week of a landmark trial against Meta, prosecutors allege the company designed addictive social media platforms to target and exploit children. According to California lawyer Megan O’Neill, who is leading the prosecution, Meta’s strategy consists of four key actions: \"hook, hold, harvest, hide.\" The company allegedly uses these tactics to entice users, keep them engaged for as long as possible, collect their data, and then conceal the truth from the public.\n\nThe trial, which commenced in Oakland, California, involves 29 US states accusing Meta of violating child privacy laws and consumer protection laws by collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent. The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, will feature testimony from former Meta employees, psychologists, and the company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, along with Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.\n\nFormer Meta safety engineer Arturo Béjar, who has criticized the company, testified that he observed children receiving unwanted sexual advances, explicit photos, and misogynistic insults on Instagram. He also expressed concern that Meta's response to child safety issues was inadequate, describing the company's approach as \"don’t ask, don’t tell.\" Despite Béjar's critical testimony, Meta has denied all allegations and characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to secure a large payout rather than a genuine pursuit of justice.",
  "summary": "In trial that opened on Tuesday, California and 28 other states accused the company of designing addictive sites and violating laws protecting children’s privacy Meta’s business can be boiled down to four words that begin with the letter H: hook, hold, harvest, hide, according to a lawyer who is prosecuting the world’s largest social media company. The owner of Facebook and Instagram “hooks” in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Business",
        "title": "Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/hook-hold-harvest-and-hide-metas-alleged-strategy-laid-out-in-first",
        "published": "2026-08-22T08:00:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}