Social Media Platforms to Face Lawsuits Over Buffalo Shooting Radicalization

A New York judge has ruled that YouTube, Meta, and Reddit must answer to lawsuits alleging their algorithms contributed to the radicalization of the Buffalo grocery store shooter.

A New York judge ruled that social media platforms including YouTube, Meta, and Reddit must face lawsuits from survivors of the Buffalo grocery store shooting in 2022.
The lawsuits allege the platforms' content algorithms contributed to the radicalization of the shooter, Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black people in a racially motivated attack.
The defendants argued they are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment, but the judge dismissed these arguments.
Everytown Law, a gun control advocacy group, is among the plaintiffs, arguing that the platforms' algorithms addict teenagers and contribute to radicalization.
Reddit and YouTube have announced plans to appeal the judge's decision, maintaining that their platforms prohibit hate and violence.