A New York state judge has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against several social media companies, alleging their platforms contributed to the radicalization of a gunman who killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York in 2022. The court documents reveal that Erie County Supreme Court Justice Paula Feroleto ruled that the complaint sufficiently pleads viable causes of action to proceed at this stage of the litigation.
The lawsuit claims that social media companies such as Meta, Alphabet, Reddit, and 4chan profit from racist, antisemitic, and violent material displayed on their platforms to maximize user engagement. The plaintiffs argue that these platforms are designed to be addictive to young users and directed the gunman to further platforms or postings that indoctrinated him with 'white replacement theory.'
Attorneys for the social media companies filed a motion to dismiss, contending that the companies are similar to message boards containing third-party content. However, the judge disagreed, stating that it is premature to rule as a matter of law that the actions or inaction of the social media companies through their platforms warrant dismissal.
A YouTube spokesperson expressed sympathy for the victims and families of the attack, mentioning that YouTube has invested in technology and policies to identify and remove extremist content. The spokesperson disagreed with the court's decision and announced plans to appeal while continuing to collaborate with law enforcement, other platforms, and civil society to share intelligence and best practices.
Reddit also issued a statement emphasizing that hate and violence have no place on their platform. They highlighted their site-wide policies that explicitly prohibit content promoting hate or violence and mentioned ongoing efforts to enhance content detection and removal mechanisms.
The court's decision allows the lawsuit to proceed, signaling a potential legal battle ahead between the plaintiffs and the social media companies named in the case.
