• Home
  • Politics
  • Health
  • World
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
What's Hot

Short and Funny Sayings for a Happy Summer with Friends

May 9, 2025

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025
Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Friday, May 9
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
  • Home
  • Politics

    Security video shows brazen sexual assault of California woman by homeless man

    October 24, 2023

    Woman makes disturbing discovery after her boyfriend chases away home intruder who stabbed him

    October 24, 2023

    Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly support Israel’s war on Hamas, but younger Americans defend Hamas

    October 24, 2023

    Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut off engines midflight on Alaska Airlines

    October 23, 2023

    Leaked audio of Shelia Jackson Lee abusively cursing staffer

    October 22, 2023
  • Health

    Disparities In Cataract Care Are A Sorry Sight

    October 16, 2023

    Vaccine Stocks—Including Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech And Novavax—Slide Amid Plummeting Demand

    October 16, 2023

    Long-term steroid use should be a last resort

    October 16, 2023

    Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy With More ‘Underperforming Stores’ To Close

    October 16, 2023

    Who’s Still Dying From Complications Related To Covid-19?

    October 16, 2023
  • World

    New York Democrat Dan Goldman Accuses ‘Conservatives in the South’ of Holding Rallies with ‘Swastikas’

    October 13, 2023

    IDF Ret. Major General Describes Rushing to Save Son, Granddaughter During Hamas Invasion

    October 13, 2023

    Black Lives Matter Group Deletes Tweet Showing Support for Hamas 

    October 13, 2023

    AOC Denounces NYC Rally Cheering Hamas Terrorism: ‘Unacceptable’

    October 13, 2023

    L.A. Prosecutors Call Out Soros-Backed Gascón for Silence on Israel

    October 13, 2023
  • Business

    Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

    May 8, 2025

    Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

    May 7, 2025

    Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

    May 7, 2025

    Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady Despite Pressure From Trump

    May 7, 2025

    ‘Wait Them Out’: John Kennedy Tells Larry Kudlow One Lie He Suspects China’s Telling US

    May 7, 2025
  • Finance

    Ending China’s De Minimis Exception Brings 3 Benefits for Americans

    April 17, 2025

    The Trump Tariff Shock Should Push Indonesia to Reform Its Economy

    April 17, 2025

    Tariff Talks an Opportunity to Reinvigorate the Japan-US Alliance

    April 17, 2025

    How China’s Companies Are Responding to the US Trade War

    April 16, 2025

    The US Flip-flop Over H20 Chip Restrictions 

    April 16, 2025
  • Tech

    Cruz Confronts Zuckerberg on Pointless Warning for Child Porn Searches

    February 2, 2024

    FTX Abandons Plans to Relaunch Crypto Exchange, Commits to Full Repayment of Customers and Creditors

    February 2, 2024

    Elon Musk Proposes Tesla Reincorporates in Texas After Delaware Judge Voids Pay Package

    February 2, 2024

    Tesla’s Elon Musk Tops Disney’s Bob Iger as Most Overrated Chief Executive

    February 2, 2024

    Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth Grew $84 Billion in 2023 as Pedophiles Target Children on Facebook, Instagram

    February 2, 2024
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
Home»Business»U.S. Supreme Court torn over challenge to internet firms’ legal shield
Business

U.S. Supreme Court torn over challenge to internet firms’ legal shield

February 22, 2023No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
  • Justices mull the scope of Section 230 law for first time
  • Related case set for Wednesday; ruling due by end of June

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday expressed uncertainty over whether to narrow a legal shield protecting internet companies from a wide array of lawsuits in a major case involving YouTube and the family of an American student fatally shot in a 2015 rampage by Islamist militants in Paris.

The justices heard arguments in an appeal by the family of Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old student at California State University, Long Beach who was studying in France, of a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit against Google LLC-owned YouTube. Google and YouTube are part of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O).

The Supreme Court for the first time in this case is scrutinizing the scope of a much-debated 1996 federal law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability for content posted by their users. In dismissing the lawsuit, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals relied upon Section 230.

The justices signaled concern about the potential consequences of limiting immunity for internet companies and the difficulty in figuring out where to draw that line while also expressing skepticism that these businesses should be shielded for certain types of harmful or defamatory content.

Latest Updates

View 2 more stories

“These are not like the nine greatest experts on the internet,” liberal Justice Elena Kagan said of the court’s members, eliciting laughter in the courtroom.

Kagan and conservative colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh both suggested Congress might be better suited to adjust legal protections for internet companies if warranted.

See also  Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy protection, begins liquidation sale

The lawsuit accused Google of providing “material support” for terrorism and claimed that YouTube, through the video-sharing platform’s computer algorithms, unlawfully recommended videos by the Islamic State militant group, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, to certain users. The recommendations helped spread Islamic State’s message and recruit jihadist fighters, the lawsuit said.

Kagan told a lawyer for the Gonzalez family, Eric Schnapper, that algorithms are widely used to organize and prioritize material on the internet and asked: “Does your position send us down the road such that (Section) 230 really can’t mean anything at all?”

Schnapper replied no and added, “As you say, algorithms are ubiquitous. But the question is, ‘What does the defendant do with the algorithm?'”

ANTI-TERRORISM LAW

The lawsuit was brought under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, a federal law that lets Americans recover damages related to “an act of international terrorism.”

Google and its supporters have said a win for the plaintiffs could prompt a flood of litigation against platforms and upend how the internet works. The case is a threat to free speech, they added, because it could force platforms to stifle anything that could be considered remotely controversial.

The justices wondered whether YouTube should lose immunity if the algorithms that provide recommendations are “neutral” or used to organize content based on users’ interests.

[1/5] Beatriz Gonzalez and Jose Hernandez, the mother and stepfather of Nohemi Gonzalez who was fatally shot in the 2015 Paris attacks, stand outside the U.S. Supreme Court after justices heard arguments in Gonzalez v. Google in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2023 REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

See also  China's home prices rise at slower pace as demand ebbs

“I’m trying to get you to explain to us how something that is standard on YouTube for virtually anything that you have an interest in suddenly amounts to ‘aiding and abetting’ because you’re in the ISIS category,” Justice Clarence Thomas told Schnapper, using initials for the Islamic State group.

Justice Samuel Alito asked Lisa Blatt, the lawyer representing Google: “Would Google collapse and the internet be destroyed if YouTube, and therefore Google, were potentially liable for hosting and refusing to take down videos that it knows are defamatory and false?”

Blatt responded, “Well, I don’t think Google would. I think probably every other website might be because they’re not as big as Google.”

The justices struggled with where to draw the line in potentially eroding Section 230 protections.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether Section 230 should apply given that recommendations are provided by YouTube itself.

“The videos just don’t appear out of thin air, they appear pursuant to the algorithms,” Roberts said.

Kagan wondered about a website delivering defamatory content to millions of its users.

“Why should there be protection for that?” Kagan asked.

Section 230 protects “interactive computer services” by ensuring they cannot be treated as the “publisher or speaker” of information provided by users.

Critics have said Section 230 too often prevents platforms from being held accountable for real-world harms. Liberals have complained of misinformation and hate speech on social media while conservatives have said voices on the right are censored.

President Joe Biden’s administration urged the Supreme Court to revive the lawsuit by Nohemi Gonzalez’s family.

See also  Wealthy Elites Oversaw A Massive Bank Collapse. Now They’re Suing To Claw Back Billions

A ruling is due by the end of June.

The justices on Wednesday will hear arguments in a related case over whether Twitter Inc (TWTR.MX) can be held liable under the Anti-Terrorism Act for aiding and abetting an “act of international terrorism” by allegedly failing to adequately screen its platform for the presence of militant groups.

Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham

: .

Challenge Court Firms internet Legal shield Supreme torn U.S
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

May 7, 2025

Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

May 7, 2025

Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady Despite Pressure From Trump

May 7, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

China’s industrial profits extend slump into seventh month

August 27, 2023

Current understanding of long-term health risks from particulate matter exposure ignores microvasculature, says study

August 24, 2023

Trump Calls DeSantis A ‘Terrible Candidate’ Who Is ‘Out’ Of Republican Primary

July 17, 2023

Watch: Patti LaBelle Forgets Lyrics to Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ During Tribute Performance: ‘I’m Trying, Y’all!’

June 29, 2023
Don't Miss

Short and Funny Sayings for a Happy Summer with Friends

Lifestyle May 9, 2025

I love the beach. Just looking at the calming sea to relax. Having fun in…

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025
About
About

This is your World, Tech, Health, Entertainment and Sports website. We provide the latest breaking news straight from the News industry.

We're social. Connect with us:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Categories
  • Business (4,110)
  • Entertainment (4,220)
  • Finance (3,202)
  • Health (1,938)
  • Lifestyle (1,627)
  • Politics (3,084)
  • Sports (4,036)
  • Tech (2,006)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • World (3,944)
Our Picks

98-Year-Old Co-Owner Of US Newspaper Dies Of Stress After Police Raids

August 14, 2023

FTX Boss Sam Bankman-Fried’s Legal Defense Funded by Cash He Gave His Father

April 5, 2023

Countries Unite Against Dollar Dominance At International Summit

August 23, 2023
Popular Posts

Short and Funny Sayings for a Happy Summer with Friends

May 9, 2025

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025
© 2025 Patriotnownews.com - All rights reserved.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.