Earlier this year, the state of New Mexico launched one of the most aggressive lawsuits in the country against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of endangering young users and leaving them vulnerable to predators. To prove its point, the state announced this week that it arrested three men for allegedly using Facebook’s platforms to prey on children.

According to the criminal complaint, agents from the state conducted an undercover sting operation using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp code-named “Operation MetaPhile” to catch child predators.

“This operation was focused on one specific point, that is the danger presented by Meta, and its social media platforms don’t just exist in the virtual world. They actually endanger children in the real world,” New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez said. “This is Mark Zuckerberg’s fault; this is the fault of executives of a company that has extraordinary resources at its disposal and has chosen time and time again to place profits over the interests of children.”

Torrez went on to say that Facebook alone can’t be trusted to solve this problem, and that it needs to be held accountable through the courts and legislation. By publicly embarrassing the company so dramatically, he may actually force the issue.

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