As U.S. Supreme Court weighs YouTube's algorithms, 'litigation minefield' looms

FILE PHOTO: The sun sets on the U.S. Supreme Court building after a stormy day in Washington, U.S., November 11, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In 2021, a California state court threw out a feminist blogger's lawsuit accusing Twitter Inc of unlawfully barring as "hateful conduct" posts criticizing transgender people. In 2022, a federal court in California tossed a lawsuit by LGBT plaintiffs accusing YouTube, part of Alphabet Inc, of restricting content posted by gay and transgender people.

These lawsuits were among many scuttled by a powerful form of immunity enshrined in U.S. law that covers internet companies. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 frees platforms from legal responsibility for content posted online by their users.