California · Meta · Facebook · Instagram · BBC Technology
Social media on trial: Four important cases to watch
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When social media started to take over the internet 20 years ago, it was widely hailed as a game-changing technology that would connect people across divides and make information more accessible.
Key facts
- The companies were ordered by a jury to pay her a combined $6m (£4.5m) in damages
- Attorneys for California and Colorado led a group of 29 states in filing in 2023 a lawsuit against Meta and Instagram
- Enacted in 1996, Section 230, as it's usually referred, gives legal immunity to platforms for anything that occurs on them
- This sprawling multidistrict litigation (MDL) in California includes allegations from more than 1,000 school districts across the US
Summary
Today, companies like Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, Google, owner of Youtube, and Snapchat, along with relatively newer platforms like TikTok, Discord and social gaming platform Roblox, are facing thousands of lawsuits in the US over claims that they have instead harmed users, children in particular. Taken together, the outcome of the lawsuits, whether they ultimately settle out of court or end up with jury verdicts against companies, could change the way social platforms operate forever. "It's created a stage that not only legal observers are watching, but regulators and lawmakers are watching closely as well," Eric Talley, a lawyer and professor at Columbia Law School, said.