@kazani

The Verdict Against Meta and Google That Could End the Anonymous Internet https://reclaimthenet.org/meta-youtube-negligence-verdict-age-verification-surveillance A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in platform design, awarding $3 million to a plaintiff who experienced mental health issues, with punitive damages totaling $6 million. This verdict could dismantle anonymous internet access by establishing a legal precedent for holding platforms liable based on their design, bypassing Section 230 protections. The legal argument treats social media architecture (infinite scroll, algorithmic notifications) as a defective product, similar to a car without brakes. If this verdict survives appeal, it provides a blueprint for over 1,600 similar cases nationwide. Classifying social media as an addictive product could lead to government regulation, requiring identity verification and access controls for users. Mark Zuckerberg testified that age verification should occur at the operating system level, managed by Apple and Google, rather than within individual apps. This proposal, if implemented, would require identity verification for all smartphone users across all apps and websites, effectively ending anonymous internet access. New legislation like California's SB 976 and the federal Kids Online Safety Act are moving towards device or OS-level age verification, mirroring Zuckerberg's suggestion. Mandatory identity verification creates a significant risk of data breaches, potentially exposing sensitive personal information. Anonymous and pseudonymous online speech is crucial for whistleblowers, dissidents, abuse survivors, and journalists, and OS-level ID checks would eliminate this protection for all users.

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction