The complementary lawsuits claim that the massacre in 2022 was made possible by tech giants, a local gun shop, and the gunman’s parents.

YouTube and Reddit are sued for allegedly enabling the racist mass shooting in Buffalo that left 10 dead::The complementary lawsuits claim that the massacre in 2022 was made possible by tech giants, a local gun shop, and the gunman’s parents.

  • danielton@lemmy.worldEnglish
    48·
    1 year ago

    Right, but since YouTube and Facebook are two of the most popular sites in the world, they aren’t really just magnets for alt-right crazies, since they appeal to almost everybody.

    • adroit balloon@lemmy.mlEnglish
      123·
      1 year ago

      right, but “everybody” aren’t the ones committing mass shootings all the time. that’s an alt-right crazies problem.

      • mister_monsterEnglish
        15·
        1 year ago

        Ok so isn’t the issue at hand whether the sites are to blame?

        • adroit balloon@lemmy.mlEnglish
          111·
          1 year ago

          Ok so isn’t the issue at hand whether the sites are to blame?

          let’s break this down so I can answer you in what I think is an honest way:

          1. Are the sites legally responsible for the content they host, generally speaking and/or in this context of radicalization and such subsequent results as these?

          and

          1. Do these sites bear any social/moral responsibility to moderate their more extreme content in good faith to try to prevent this sort of result?

          and

          1. Is there an overlap of 1 and 2?

          1 - this is for a court to decide. I’m not familiar enough with the very specifics of case law or with the suits being brought to know exactly what is being alleged, etc. I can’t opine on this other that to say that, from what I do know, it’s unlikely that a court would hold these sites legally responsible.

          2 - I fully believe that, yes, sites like these, massive, general-use public sites have a social and moral responsibility to keep their platforms safe. How and what that means is a matter for much debate, and I’m sure people here will do just that.

          3 - is there overlap? again, legally, I’m not sure, but there might be, and in the near future, there might be much more. also, should there be more? another subject for debate.

      • danielton@lemmy.worldEnglish
        49·
        1 year ago

        I didn’t say they were. Facebook and YouTube didn’t commit the shootings, and there isn’t anything particularly special about them that would disproportionately attract the alt-right crazies. They’re not hate sites.