Opinion Today: Will the case against TikTok finally make big tech accountable?

The law that has protected companies since the early internet needs to get with the times.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 23, 2024 By Suein Hwang Business, Economics and Technology Editor, Opinion Anyone who has logged into Facebook or Instagram recently has likely seen the deluge of weird look-at-me material filling their feeds, like pie-eating cats and memes of Jesus-as-a-shrimp. But maybe we should be thankful for the artificial intelligence-generated slop: It may be one of the triggers that will finally force the social media giants to be held responsible for the societal consequences of their behavior. For decades, the tech giants have run rampant thanks to a snippet of law from the dial-up era that was intended to protect companies from defamation claims related to posts made by users. That may have made sense back when we got to choose whose material we saw. But, as Julia Angwin explains in her latest essay for Times Opinion, courts are starting to question whether it still applies in the TikTok era, when platforms are increasingly having us watch whatever content their algorithms have chosen for us. "If tech platforms are actively shaping our experiences, after all, maybe they should be held liable for creating experiences that damage our bodies, our children, our communities and our democracy," she writes. Our legal system may be slow to catch up with the times, but let's take a moment to celebrate the fact it still seems to be functioning. Read the guest essay: Sam Whitney/The New York Times Guest Essay Bad News: We've Lost Control of Our Social Media Feeds. Good News: Courts Are Noticing. A case involving TikTok may have opened the door to holding platforms liable for the damage they cause. By Julia Angwin Here's more from Opinion, curated by Times editors and personalized for you Damon Winter/The New York Times There's One Main Culprit if Donald Trump Wins They should look at themselves and the way they practice politics. By Bret Stephens Damon Winter/The New York Times James Carville: Why I'm Certain Kamala Harris Will Win There are three reasons I'm not sweating this election. By James Carville Brandon Celi Nate Silver: Here's What My Gut Says About the Election. But Don't Trust Anyone's Gut, Even Mine. A 50-50 forecast really does mean 50-50. And you should be open to the possibility that those forecasts are wrong. By Nate Silver Jack Smyth 'People Are Angry': An Economics Brain Trust Debates How to Fix America One set of writers on the left and another on the right lay out competing visions for what the next president should do. By Jay Clayton, Gary D. Cohn, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers More Babies Aren't the Only Solution to Falling Birthrates Jessica Grose on the good news behind the numbers. 7 MIN LISTEN We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018