Trillion-Dollar Tech Bandits Are Finally Facing Justice

"Some of the most vulnerable members of society, primarily women and children, have become victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation. Tech created these hazards-not by accident, but by design-and we're finally seeing these issues come to the fore in courtrooms with the recent verdicts holding social-media companies accountable. After spending decades operating with near impunity as they transformed social-media platforms into ruthless profit-making machines, the giant global tech companies are beginning to face consequences for their dangerous products."

"The product-liability claims that are now being deployed against social-media platforms rely on legal arguments that are similar to those that consumer advocates have used to hold Big Tobacco, Big Auto, and Big Pharma to account; the ultimate goal is to rein in bad actors who put consumers at risk. Progressive attorneys general across the country, directly confronting legislative inaction, have taken the lead in going after Big Tech."

"In 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside a bipartisan coalition of more than two dozen state attorneys general, urged the Supreme Court to interpret Section 230 to allow social-media companies to be held liable. "States are severely hampered from holding social media companies accountable for harms facilitated or directly caused by their platforms," Bonta said. "This was certainly not Congress's intent when it carved out a narrow exception in the Communications Decency Act.""

"The attorneys general urged the Supreme Court to "not insulate social media companies from liability." (The Supreme Court ultimately decided not to rule on the scope of Section 230.) As a result of the expansive legal obstacles created by Section 230, victims continue to fight uphill battles against these omnipotent tec"

Some of the most vulnerable people, especially women and children, have been harmed by online sexual abuse and exploitation facilitated by social-media platforms. These hazards were created through design rather than accident, and recent court verdicts have begun holding social-media companies accountable. Legal claims against these companies use arguments similar to those used to challenge Big Tobacco, Big Auto, and Big Pharma, aiming to rein in bad actors that put consumers at risk. Progressive attorneys general have led efforts to confront legislative inaction by urging courts to interpret Section 230 more narrowly. In 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition asked the Supreme Court to allow social-media companies to be held liable for harms facilitated or directly caused by their platforms. The Supreme Court declined to rule on Section 230’s scope, leaving victims facing major legal obstacles.

Read at The Nation