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Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg faces a potential revolt at the companys annual meeting on Wednesday as shareholders push the Big Tech firm to step up transparency regarding its efforts to protect kids online.

A group led by Lisette Cooper, vice chair of the Franklin Templeton subsidiary Fiduciary Trust International and the parent of a child sex abuse survivor, is backing a non-binding resolution urging Metas board to publish an annual report tracking the companys performance on child safety and protecting young users from harm on its apps.

The report would require quantitative metrics appropriate to assessing whether Meta has improved its performance globally regarding child safety impacts and actual harm reduction to children on its platforms.

If they want to reassure advertisers, parents, legislators, shareholders on whether theyre making a different on dealing with this problem on harm to children, they need to have transparency, Cooper said in an interview with The Post. They need better metrics.

The resolution is set for a vote during a time of intense scrutiny for Zuckerberg-led Meta which faces a legal and regulatory crackdown in the US and abroad about its alleged failure to keep kids safe on Instagram and Facebook.

Zuckerberg himself recently apologized to the families of victims of online sex abuse during a high-profile Congressional hearing.

Metas board of directors opposes the resolution, arguing in an April proxy statement that the requested report is unnecessary and would not provide additional benefit to our shareholders.

Cooper and her allies cite a raft of pending litation against Meta related to child safety. Last October, Meta was sued by dozens of states who alleged that the company had ignored the sweeping damage these platforms have caused to the mental and physical health, including poor sleep, disruption to schoolwork, anxiety and depression.

A separate suit from New Mexicos attorney general alleged Meta has exposed underage users to purported sex predators.

As The Post reported earlier this month, Meta is also spearheading a massive lobbying campaign to kill or weaken a pair of New York bills aimed at protecting kids online.

Children are going to be the users of the future. If they have a bad experience on the platform, they are not going to keep coming back. This makes a huge difference to us as investors, Cooper added.

Two of the largest proxy advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis & Co. have recommended shareholders vote in favor of the resolution.

We believe that the requested report and the adoption and reporting of targets will provide shareholders with valuable information, so they can better understand this sensitive issue in the context of the Company’s efforts to minimize harmful content on its platforms, Glass Lewis said regarding the proposal.

ISS determined that shareholders would benefit from additional information on how the company is managing the risks related to child safety.

Shareholder resolutions are essentially doomed without the support of Zuckerberg, who controls 61% of the companys voting power through his ownership of so-called super voting Class B shares.

Proxy Impact, which filed the resolution on Coopers behalf, noted in a filing that a similar proposal at last years annual meeting received nearly 54% support from shares that werent controlled by Meta management.

This is like a basic first step for any business plan get the data, said Proxy Impact CEO Michael Passoff. What gets measured gets managed, and theyre not doing that. Or if they are, they just arent making it available to anyone.

In its proxy filing, Meta noted various steps it has taken to address online child safety concerns, including the creation of more than 30 tools across our apps to help support teens and families and existing policies that prohibit harmful content that seeks to exploit kids.

We want people, especially young people, to foster their online relationships in a safe, positive, and supportive environment, and we work closely with a broad range of stakeholders to inform our approach to safety, the company said.

Metas board also recommended that shareholders reject a number of other resolutions, including one requesting a third-party report that would assess the potential risks and benefits of instituting a higher minimum age for users of its social media products.

Metas legal and regulatory headaches on the issue of child safety arent limited to the US.

Earlier this month, the European Commission revealed it was investigating whether Meta had violated a sweeping new law called the Digital Service Act, which requires the largest tech firms to police content on their platforms.

European watchdogs expressed concern that Facebook and Instagram may stimulate behavioral addictions in children as well as rabbit-hole effects, where kids stay glued to the apps despite harmful health effects.

Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its annual revenue if it is found to have violated the DSA.

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Second boat boarded by FBI after Baltimore bridge collapse

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Second boat boarded by FBI after Baltimore bridge collapse

FBI agents have boarded a boat managed by the same company whose cargo ship crashed into a Baltimore bridge and caused it to collapse.

The two companies in charge of the ship “recklessly cut corners” and ignored electrical problems on the vessel before the crash in March, alleged the US Justice Department on Wednesday.

Three days later, FBI agents boarded the Maersk Saltoro, a second ship managed by the same company, although authorities did not offer further details on the operation.

Six construction workers were killed when the Dali ship had a power outage and crashed into a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Read more: Could the Baltimore Bridge disaster happen again?

The Justice Department alleged that mechanical and electrical systems on the massive ship had been improvised and improperly maintained which led to the power outage.

The Singapore-flagged container ship 'Dali' after it collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
Pic:  Harford County MD Fire & EMS/Reuters
Image:
The Dali after it collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Pic: Harford County MD Fire & EMS/Reuters

Authorities are seeking to recover more than $100 million the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city’s port, which was only fully reopened in June.

It could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history and the two Singapore-based companies, Synergy Marine Group and Grace Ocean, are trying to limit their legal liability.

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Harris says anyone breaking into her home is ‘getting shot’
Parents die on Hawaii ‘babymoon’ holiday
Sheriff charged with shooting judge dead inside courthouse

The Justice Department said it will vigorously contest that limitation, arguing that vessel owners and operators need to be “deterred from engaging in such reckless and exceedingly harmful behaviour”.

Darrell Wilson, a Grace Ocean spokesperson, confirmed that the FBI and Coast Guard boarded the Maersk Saltoro in the Port of Baltimore on Saturday morning.

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Mr Wilson has previously said the owner and manager “look forward to our day in court to set the record straight” about the Justice Department’s lawsuit.

The Dali, which was stuck amid the wreckage of the collapse for months before it could be extricated, departed Virginia on Thursday afternoon en route to China on its first international voyage since the March 26 disaster.

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Environment

2024 Cadillac LYRIQ buyers could score $10,500 in discounts

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2024 Cadillac LYRIQ buyers could score ,500 in discounts

The all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ was an Electrek favorite when it first made its debut two years ago. Now, LYRIQ buyers who have been waiting for a deal can score more than $10,500 in discounts on the Ultium-based Caddy.

Our own Seth Weintraub said that GM had come in, “a year early and dollar long at $60K” when he first drove the Ultium-based Cadillac LYRIQ back in 2022. He called the SUV “a stunner,” too, heaping praise on the LYRIQ’s styling inside and out before adding that the EV’s ride quality really impressed on long journeys.

Well, if the first mainstream electric Cadillac was a winner at its original, $57,195 starting price (rounded up to $60K for easy math), what could we call it at $10,500 less?

That’s a question that’s suddenly worth asking, thanks to huge GM discounts on the LYRIQ that prompted the automotive pricing analysts at CarsDirect to name the 2024 LYRIQ one of the industry’s “Best New Car Deals” this month:

A slew of incentives can enable you to save big on a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ. First, EVs eligible for the federal tax credit qualify for $7,500 in Ultium Promise Bonus Cash from GM. Additionally, competing EV owners can score $3,000 in conquest cash.

Meghan Carbary | CarsDirect

With more than 100 kWh of battery capacity and 300-plus miles of real-world driving range (plus available 190 kW charging capability) the Cadillac LYRIQ ticks all the boxes – but you don’t have to take just my word for that.

You can check out Electrek‘s original First Drive video, below, and click here to find Cadillac LYRIQ deals near you.

First Drive: Cadillac LYRIQ | Luxury E-CUV

SOURCE | IMAGES: CarsDirect.

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Sports

Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

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Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against No. 11 USC with an undisclosed injury.

Loveland suffered an apparent shoulder injury in last weekend’s win over Arkansas State. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore hasn’t specified the nature of the injury.

A preseason All-American, Loveland leads the Wolverines with 19 catches for 187 yards; no other Michigan pass catcher has more than nine receptions.

The No. 18 Wolverines also changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Alex Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend. He threw two picks in a 31-12 loss to Texas on Sept. 7.

Orji has only seven career passing attempts but has rushed for 58 yards in a relief role this season.

Moore said this week that he wants to see Orji “take the reins” of the Michigan offense with his opportunity.

“Excited for him,” Moore said. “I know he’s chomping at the bit.”

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