In 2015, in Paris, Islamic State militants killed young Nohemi Gonzalez, a US citizen who was in the French capital at the time, in an attack. After his death, YouTube it was filled with up-to-date videos, and so in 2023, his family is taking Google to the Supreme Court.
Gonzalez is being blamed for the Mountain View giant being responsible for uninterrupted video playback thanks to recommendations from its algorithm.
Google claimed it was not responsible, citing a decade-old law.
The 1996 law also allows companies to remove content deemed in violation of the platform’s rules.
The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has been asked to define the scope of Section 230 and determine whether platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are protected when their algorithms direct users to certain information.
During the hearing, the judges noted that the current Internet landscape has changed a lot since the law was first passed 27 years ago.
The judges also expressed concern that a decision in favor of the Gonzalez family could open the door to a wave of lawsuits against technology companies.
“They are creating a world of lawsuits,” liberal judge Elena Kagan said. “In fact, when you have content, you also have these prioritization and presentation options that can be claimed.”
Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a Conservative, expressed concern that any decision to limit the legal protection of Internet companies would “really destroy the digital economy.”
The Gonzalez family first sued Google in 2016, alleging that the tech giant violated federal anti-terrorism laws by recommending videos hosted by the Islamic State to its users.
Source: Digital Trends
I am Garth Carter and I work at Gadget Onus. I have specialized in writing for the Hot News section, focusing on topics that are trending and highly relevant to readers. My passion is to present news stories accurately, in an engaging manner that captures the attention of my audience.
