A New York judge’s recent decision has opened the door for survivors of the 2022 Buffalo shooting to pursue legal action against major social media platforms, potentially setting a precedent for how such companies are held accountable for content on their sites.
What Happened: Survivors of the horrific 2022 Buffalo shooting have been granted the right to proceed with their lawsuits against social media giants, The Hill reported on Tuesday. Erie Supreme Court Judge Paula L. Feroleto has denied motions to dismiss the cases against platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit.
The plaintiffs have accused these platforms, which include Meta Platforms Inc. META and Reddit and Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL, of creating products that they claim contributed to the radicalization of the gunman, Payton Gendron. Gendron, now serving a life sentence for murder and domestic terrorism, was reportedly influenced by racist and violent content online. The social media companies had previously cited Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as a defense, claiming it exempted them from liability, but Judge Feroleto found the complaints credible enough to proceed.
Everytown, an advocacy group supporting the lawsuit, applauded the judge’s decision. Executive Director Eric Tirschwell expressed that it’s essential to “hold accountable every single bad actor that prepared and equipped the shooter to target and kill members of Buffalo's Black community.”
Reddit has expressed its intention to appeal the ruling, underscoring its policies against hate and violence. Responses from Google and Meta are pending following the judge’s order.
Why It Matters: This ruling comes amidst a backdrop of intense scrutiny over social media’s role in spreading hate and violence. Previously, Facebook was found to be monetizing searches related to the Buffalo shooting video with ads, raising ethical concerns about profit from such content.
President Joe Biden labeled white supremacy as a “poison” in America during a visit to Buffalo, as he and First Lady Jill Biden met with the families of the victims.
In response to the string of mass shootings, including the one in Buffalo, the U.S. Senate passed significant gun safety legislation, the most considerable effort in decades to address gun violence. The bipartisan bill includes measures to enhance background checks and support red flag laws.
Photo by DANIEL CONSTANTE on Shutterstock
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