RE: 2020 US election - The fat lady is warming up in the wings
12-02-2020, 01:35 PM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2020, 01:36 PM by hazard.)
12-02-2020, 01:35 PM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2020, 01:36 PM by hazard.)
Not an expert, but section 230 establishes that Twitter (and similar platforms) is not liable for things people say on their platform. They're also not liable for the consequences of being kicked off the platform.
It's not that Twitter would be forced to block everyone who was ever flagged for any reason. It's that Twitter would be legally responsible for everything people say on Twitter, and for any damages suffered by people who get kicked off Twitter by Twitter as a result of getting kicked off.
Twitter's entire business model would disappear, because oh boy, do people say shit on Twitter, and the company makes money by showing advertisements to everybody who visits. However, if some asshole says something that is legally a problem, Twitter can be sued for that and penalized. Revoking section 230 would basically destroy the entire social media economy, as well as every other site that permits the public to comment on their content without an employee looking over the message to see if it's compliant with the law before that comment is published.
It's not that Twitter would be forced to block everyone who was ever flagged for any reason. It's that Twitter would be legally responsible for everything people say on Twitter, and for any damages suffered by people who get kicked off Twitter by Twitter as a result of getting kicked off.
Twitter's entire business model would disappear, because oh boy, do people say shit on Twitter, and the company makes money by showing advertisements to everybody who visits. However, if some asshole says something that is legally a problem, Twitter can be sued for that and penalized. Revoking section 230 would basically destroy the entire social media economy, as well as every other site that permits the public to comment on their content without an employee looking over the message to see if it's compliant with the law before that comment is published.