ID verification service IDScan has confirmed that a data breach involved the theft of driver’s licenses from its systems, a week after a report said the identity document checker had been breached during a year-long hack.

The recent news about Meta settling with 47 states, including ours, and paying $17 billion in penalties for all the harm it’s caused kids was good news. That being said, Congress still needs to do its job and pass laws that force Meta and other social media platforms to do more to keep kids safe.

A proposed set of federal and state laws, known as the App Store Accountability Act, would mandate age verification for all app store users who download apps or make in-app purchases. Proponents say it’s a necessary shield against online harms, but critics argue it erects a digital tollbooth on free expression, forcing every citizen to surrender personal data just to browse software.

The FBI is investigating an alleged cybersecurity breach of an ID verification company that potentially exposed millions of scans of driver’s licenses — including that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which cybercriminals advertised for sale.

West Virginia is one of dozens of states suing Meta over the harm its platforms can cause children. Our governor signed West Virginia onto that lawsuit when he was attorney general, and he was right to do so. But lawsuits can only go so far. We need meaningful protections that change what happens when our children actually use these platforms. Two bills in the U.S. Senate claim to address this problem, but only one puts the responsibility where it belongs: on the platforms themselves.

West Virginia is one of dozens of states suing Meta over the harm its platforms can cause children. Our governor signed West Virginia onto that lawsuit when he was attorney general, and he was right to do so. But lawsuits can only go so far. We need meaningful protections that change what happens when our children actually use these platforms. Two bills in the U.S. Senate claim to address this problem, but only one puts the responsibility where it belongs: on the platforms themselves.

For several years, Meta has faced a massive multidistrict litigation (MDL) combining thousands of lawsuits in nearly every U.S. state and territory, alleging that the social media company designed its platforms to be addictive and harmful to minor users. State attorneys general in the MDL reached a nearly $17 billion settlement on August 26, 2026 – a far cry from the $200 billion the attorneys general were asking for. As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to implement age assurance, hard caps on teen screen time, and a slate of protective design defaults.

The actual problems: Two things harm kids: addictive algorithms and anonymous chat. This settlement does not turn them off. Addictive algorithms — an endless feed that never stops scrolling. Meta is an advertising company; the algorithm feeds the ads engine.

Meta reached an $18 billion settlement on Wednesday over a lawsuit brought by 29 U.S. states concerning children’s safety. The settlement is historic in scale as Meta agrees with a group of 52 attorneys general to implement sweeping changes to how minors use Instagram and Facebook.