Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., this week argued in an amicus brief that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act "allows platforms to escape any real accountability" for content posted by users.
Hawley wrote the brief in support of the family of an American killed during a terror attack in France who is suing YouTube's parent company, Google, for recommending "hundreds of radicalizing videos."
Hawley wrote, "Far from making the internet safer for children and families, Section 230 now allows platforms to escape any real accountability for their decision-making — as the tragic facts, and procedural history, of this case make clear."
Attorneys representing Google argued in a legal filing, "YouTube does not produce its own reviews of books or videos or tell users that a given video is 'terrific.'"
They add, "The Court should not lightly adopt a reading of section 230 that would threaten the basic organizational decisions of the modern internet."
Hawley argued that the provision has been incorrectly used in order to "shield the Nation's largest and most powerful technology corporations from any legal consequences."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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