On Monday, the Supreme Court added nine new cases to its docket. The Supreme Court will consider whether technology companies have immunity from lawsuits on content hosted on their respective sites. This subject has been contentious between advocates of free speech and many of the technocrats who espouse leftist ideology and want to shut down opposing perspectives. The court is taking up cases involving people dying due to terrorist groups posting content on social media, content that might be recommended to users through tech algorithms. Groups like Google and Twitter have not censored this content, yet Twitter thought it was appropriate to censor President Trump’s account and numerous other Republican and Independent accounts.

According to Scotus Blog, the court will decide whether Section 230 protects platforms that set their algorithms to target users, recommending content that someone has posted. The family of an American woman killed in a Paris cafe during a 2015 ISIS attack filed suit. The plaintiffs brought suit under the Antiterrorism Act. And they are arguing that Google (who owns YouTube) helped ISIS recruit by recommending ISIS Youtube videos to users through its algorithms.

The justices will also be reviewing a decision made by the 9th Circuit Court. The 9th Circuit decided Twitter, Facebook, and Google were liable for aiding and abetting international terrorism when they decided to let ISIS use their platforms, despite the protections of Section 230. Section 230, known as the Communications Decency Act, protects internet platforms from liability for user-produced content. Twitter filed the suit following the 9th Circuit Court’s decision which held them responsible for the death of a Jordanian man who was killed during an ISIS attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. The 9th Circuit ruling found that Section 230 “shelters more activity than Congress envisioned it would.” The law was passed through congress in 1996 after an internet provider was found liable for a defamatory statement that was posted on a message board in a New York lawsuit.

Rep. Gosar posted, The facts are simple: Big Tech is too powerful. Americans are being silenced just because of their political views. He added video footage that featured Tucker Carlson saying, “If you are forced to shut up, they can do what they want to you and your country” he added, “Our media is no longer challenging power. It is colluding with power.”

Senator Marsha Blackburn also weighed in, saying for too long Big Tech has used Section 230 as a shield to avoid accountability for its decisions, including the hosting of CSAM, violent content, and the removal of conservative content.

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