yahoo news | Meta, Google under attack as court cases bypass 30-year-old legal shield

Since the mid‑1990s, internet platforms have been shielded from liability for user‑generated content by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Recent jury verdicts, however, are eroding that protection. A New Mexico jury found Meta liable for child‑safety harms, while a Los Angeles jury held Facebook’s parent and Google’s YouTube negligent in a personal‑injury trial. At the same time, victims of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal filed a class‑action suit accusing Google’s AI‑powered “AI Mode” of exposing personal information, arguing that the feature functions as more than a neutral search index.

The lawsuits target the design of platforms rather than the specific content they host, alleging that features such as autoplay, recommendation algorithms, notifications and AI‑generated summaries deliberately foster addiction and facilitate the spread of sensitive data. Plaintiffs claim these design choices operate like “digital casinos,” causing mental‑health harms to minors and exposing individuals to harassment and threats. Attorneys for the plaintiffs contend that the companies knew of these risks yet failed to act, and they are using systematic litigation to carve out “divots” in Section 230’s shield.

Lawmakers and scholars are debating how to respond. Critics say the law has let tech firms avoid meaningful safeguards for users, especially children, while supporters warn that weakening Section 230 could stifle innovation and free speech. Proposals range from tightening the statute’s protections only for companies that meet strict privacy and transparency standards, to outright repeal. The pending appeals and potential Supreme Court review will shape whether the next generation of AI‑driven platforms can continue operating under the current legal framework.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/03/meta-google-under-attack-court-cases-bypass-30-year-old-legal-shield.html

#meta #google #facebook #section230 #communicationsdecencyact

"Once again, several Senators appear poised to gut one of the most important laws protecting internet users - Section 230 (47 U.S.C. § 230).

Don’t be fooled - many of Section 230’s detractors claim that this critical law only protects big tech. The reality is that Section 230 provides limited protection for all platforms, though the biggest beneficiaries are small platforms and users. Why else would some of the biggest platforms be willing to endorse a bill that guts the law? In fact, repealing Section 230 would only cement the status of Big Tech monopolies.

As EFF has said for years, Section 230 is essential to protecting individuals’ ability to speak, organize, and create online.

Congress knew exactly what Section 230 would do – that it would lay the groundwork for speech of all kinds across the internet, on websites both small and large. And that’s exactly what has happened.

Section 230 isn’t in conflict with American values. It upholds them in the digital world. People are able to find and create their own communities, and moderate them as they see fit. People and companies are responsible for their own speech, but (with narrow exceptions) not the speech of others."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/230-protects-users-not-big-tech

#USA #Section230 #CommunicationsDecencyAct #ContentModeration #SocialMedia

#Zitat im #Artikel: »Die gleiche Vorschrift, die #Meta von der Haftung für die Inhalte seiner #Nutzer freistellt, gibt diesen Nutzern auch das #Recht, selbst zu entscheiden, was sie auf der #Plattform sehen«.

Jetzt geht's dem #Facebook-#Newsfeed an den Kragen. Wird spannend, ob die proaktive #Klage des Wissenschaftlers Erfolg hat.

#communicationsdecencyact

Facebook-Newsfeed: US-Professor will Facebooks Algorithmen entmachten - DER SPIEGEL

https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/apps/facebook-newsfeed-us-professor-will-facebooks-algorithmen-entmachten-a-ef0b001e-b268-4f65-b5fa-b0b8159ec67d

The Supreme Court has heard arguments in the first case about the federal law that helped create the modern internet, and several justices suggested that Congress, not the courts, should resolve the issue.

#SCOTUS #Section230 #CommunicationsDecencyAct
https://apnews.com/article/technology-florida-state-government-texas-business-lawsuits-27e9f2e06de0f75a6c2f6a6f8d294827

"Section 230 protection makes it easier for platforms to allow users to post their views without the companies fearing they could be held responsible for those messages. It also gives the platforms peace of mind that they won’t be penalized if they want to remove or demote information they deem to be harmful or objectionable in some way.

These are the cases that threaten to undermine Section 230′s force."

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/the-supreme-court-could-change-free-speech-on-the-internet.html

#law
#section230
#CommunicationsDecencyAct
#internetfreedom

Google und Section 230: US-Gerichtsurteil könnte "Internet auf den Kopf stellen"

Der Supreme Court verhandelt über elementare US-Haftungsprivilegien für soziale Netzwerke. Google mahnt, diese zu erhalten, sonst drohe weitgehende Zensur.

https://www.heise.de/news/Google-und-Section-230-US-Gerichtsurteil-koennte-Internet-auf-den-Kopf-stellen-7459343.html?wt_mc=sm.red.ho.mastodon.mastodon.md_beitraege.md_beitraege

#CDA #CommunicationsDecencyAct #Facebook #Google #Haftung #Haftungsrecht #Instagram #Regulierung #Section230 #SocialMedia #Suchmaschinen #TikTok #Twitter #USA #YouTube #News