Breaking: Meta's $1.4T Children's-Data Trial Opens

Opening statements began today, 18 August 2026, in Oakland before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (U.S. District Court, Northern District of California). California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — the first four of 29 states — allege Meta knew children under 13 were using Instagram and Facebook and collected their personal data without verifiable parental consent, in violation of COPPA. The judge will decide the COPPA claims herself, while an eight-member advisory jury weighs the states' consumer-protection claims; Meta has disclosed that a loss could expose it to as much as $1.4 trillion, a maximum the court has already called "unreasonable." For any service reachable by under-13s, the trial will test the "actual knowledge" standard and verifiable-parental-consent mechanics.

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China's data-risk assessment measures take effect in two days. The Measures for Network Data Security Risk Assessment — issued 18 June 2026 by the CAC, MIIT and Ministry of Public Security — enter into force on 20 August 2026. Handlers of "important data" must conduct a network-data-security risk assessment every year. Stand up an assessment methodology and cadence now. Source

South Korea's PIPA overhaul lands 11 September. The amended Personal Information Protection Act takes effect in 24 days, raising the penalty ceiling to up to 10% of turnover for serious violations and pinning accountability on CEOs and senior management. Assign senior ownership and verify breach-notification readiness. Source

China Network Data Security Risk Assessment Measures — effective 20 August 2026 (2 days). Organizations handling Chinese "important data" need an annual risk-assessment process in place before the effective date.

If you run any service that under-13s can reach, audit your age-assurance and "actual knowledge" handling against COPPA's verifiable-parental-consent requirement — today's Meta trial is about exactly that gap.

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