U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has escalated her scrutiny of online platform safety, sending a sternly worded letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the proliferation of black market groups on Facebook facilitating the fraudulent sale of rideshare and delivery service accounts.
This action follows reports indicating that these groups, some boasting over 22,000 members, enable individuals to bypass crucial background checks and driver’s license requirements.
The senator’s intervention comes on the heels of her successful investigation into similar practices on food delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub.
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Last year, Blackburn’s probe revealed that illegal immigrants were purchasing access to legitimate courier accounts, prompting these companies to implement enhanced safety protocols and verification measures.
“I write to express my concern at the reports that Meta has failed to remove black-market groups operating on Facebook wherein individuals buy and sell access to rideshare and delivery service accounts,” Blackburn stated in her letter. “The unvetted use of these accounts is incredibly dangerous for American consumers, specifically women and children, and I urge you to immediately remove each of these Facebook groups and better enforce existing rules against fraud and deceptive practices.”
“Given these platforms’ efforts to crack down on account sharing, it is concerning that Meta has allowed groups like, ‘UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE,’ to flourish with over 22,000 members,” she noted. She also pointed out that while Meta reportedly removed one such group after being made aware of it, approximately 80 similar groups remain active on the platform.
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The senator underscored the real-world consequences of these security lapses, citing a disturbing incident where a woman was allegedly raped after an individual misrepresented themselves as a delivery driver. “These security concerns are not figurative, but they are having real, devastating impacts on Americans across the country,” Blackburn asserted.
Blackburn accused Meta of prioritizing profit over user safety, alleging that the company has “expended its resources preying on our young people and kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party” instead of addressing fraudulent activity and sexual misconduct.
She demanded that Meta take immediate and decisive action to remove these black market groups and protect American consumers.
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“Instead of allowing Facebook to remain one of the premier sites for fraud and abuse, you must do more to remove these black-market groups and protect Americans,” Blackburn concluded.
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