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In a pair of lawsuits targeting Twitter, Google and Facebook, the Supreme Court had its first chance to take on the 1996 law that helped give rise to social media. But instead of weighing in on Section 230, which shields online services from liability for what their users post, the court decided the platforms didn’t need special protections to avoid liability for hosting terrorist content.
That finding issued Thursday is a blow to the idea, gaining adherents in Congress and the White House, that today’s social media platforms ought to be held responsible when their software amplifies harmful content. The Supreme Court ruled that they should not, at least under U.S. terrorism law.
“Plaintiffs assert that defendants’ ‘recommendation’ algorithms go beyond passive aid and constitute active, substantial assistance” to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the court’s unanimous opinion. “We disagree.”
The two…
This article was written by Will Oremus and originally published on www.washingtonpost.com