Bloomberg Law Internet Giants Sued & Interim Appointments
May 21, 2025
Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University, tackles the lawsuits from Buffalo shooting victims' families against social media giants for spreading harmful content. He discusses the challenges of Section 230 and tech companies' liability for inciting violence. Anne Joseph O’Connell from Stanford Law School sheds light on the trend of temporary appointments in government, analyzing the implications for accountability and the federal vacancies system. Together, they unpack pressing legal issues rooted in our digital age and government practices.
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Product Liability Limits
- New York product liability law traditionally covers physical products, not internet services like Facebook.
- Applying these laws to social media algorithms raises complex legal and speech regulation issues.
Section 230's Protection Scope
- Section 230 protects platforms from liability for third-party content they host.
- Facebook's role as a content distributor complicates assigning responsibility for harm caused by user-posted content.
Algorithm's Role in Radicalization
- Social media algorithms connect users to groups reinforcing harmful ideologies through confirmation bias.
- Facebook's algorithm treats antisocial and other content the same, leading to problematic matches.