Saturday, February 6, 2021

Finally, an Interesting Proposal for Section 230 Reform | WIRED

... The SAFE TECH Act takes aim at these Section 230 excesses. It explicitly says that immunity doesn't apply to lawsuits alleging stalking, harassment, or intimidation—as in gossip sites or the Grindr case. It likewise exempts wrongful death actions, so that a site like Armslist might have to defend itself when a gun sale it facilitates ends with someone dead. It also establishes that immunity doesn't extend to advertisements, under the sensible theory that if a platform is directly getting paid to host a piece of content, it shouldn't be completely free of any liability for it. And, in a subtle tweak, the bill would get rid of immunity altogether when it comes to injunctions, rather than damages. That might sound like a technical legal fix, but it's a smart one: Even if Section 230 immunity is necessary to protect platforms from crippling legal battles, that logic doesn't apply when someone like the Grindr victim is merely asking the company to take a certain action, like suspending an account. Obeying injunctions shouldn't drive anyone bankrupt...


No comments:

Post a Comment








Click Older Posts above to see more.