Google case at Supreme Court risks upending the internet as we know it
An upcoming Supreme Court case could answer one of the toughest questions of the internet age: Should online companies be held responsible for promoting harmful speech?
The case, Gonzalez v. Google, could upend the modern internet economy, sparing no online business. A ruling against Google will likely leave internet companies — from social media platforms to travel websites to online marketplaces — scrambling to reconfigure their businesses to avoid costly lawsuits.
The case, which will be argued Feb. 21, tests whether Google’s YouTube can be held liable for automated recommendations of Islamic State terrorism videos. The company is being sued by the family of Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was among the at least 130 people killed in coordinated attacks by the Islamic State in Paris in November 2015.
Since 1996, the statute at the center of the case, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, has protected online platforms from facing lawsuits for hosting toxic content and enabled the companies to remove posts as they saw fit. The Gonzalez case focuses on whether platforms are protected by the Section 230 shield when their own algorithms boost toxic material, videos and photos.
—Bloomberg News
California lawmakers denied an anti-slavery bill last year but they are trying again
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers will once again introduce legislation that could ban imposing forced labor on inmates. This effort to amend state’s Constitution was rejected last year when lawmakers failed to pass it through the Assembly.
Assemblymember Lori Wilson, a Democrat, announced Wednesday the reintroduction of the measure called End Slavery in California Act during a news conference at the State Capitol West.
Wilson was joined by other members of the Legislature as well as a coalition of sponsors such as Anti-Recidivism Coalition, All of Us or None, Anti-Violence, Safety, & Accountability.
The original measure — known as ACA 3 — was developed by criminal justice-reform-advocate Samual Brown and brought to the state Senate in 2021 by then-Sen. Sydney Kamlager, a Democrat from Los Angeles. She has since been elected to the U.S. Congress.
—The Sacramento Bee
As trains tear from LA to Vegas at 180 mph, bighorn sheep will have safe passage
A set of three wildlife crossings — meant to provide safe passage for bighorn sheep and other animals — has been added to the plans for a high-speed rail line project between Las Vegas and Southern California.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state Department of Transportation and rail builder Brightline West announced on Wednesday their agreement to design and build the crossings over the planned 218-mile rail line, slated to occupy the center divider of the heavily trafficked 15 Freeway.
"Roadways and rail lines must be designed to connect, not divide," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news release. "This project will not only protect the precious wildlife and habitat of the Mojave Desert region but will also get people between Las Vegas and Southern California safely and efficiently — preserving one of the most popular corridors in our state."
The crossings, notably, stand to benefit bighorn sheep. When the project was proposed, conservationists voiced concern that the sheep's movements would be restricted just as drought and heat sent them searching farther afield for food and water.
—Los Angeles Times
Hundreds of thousands protest in France at Macron's pension reforms
PARIS — Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets throughout France to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms that involve raising the retirement age.
Roughly 440,000 attended rallies in French cities and towns, with major rallies held in Marseille, Rennes and Bordeaux. Workers at airports, in the rail network and in the energy sector stopped work in support of the protests. The Interior Ministry said the number of attendees was lower than in past protests, while the CGT trade union said 1.3 million people had taken to the streets.
The centrist government is seeking to raise the retirement age in stages to 64 while also planning to increase the minimum pension to around €1,200 ($1,290) per month. Trade unions have criticized the plans as unjust.
The current official pensionable age is 62, but people retire later on average, as those who have not paid in for long enough to claim the full pension work for longer. A full pension is paid from the age of 67, irrespective of the number of years of contribution. The government aims to retain this provision.
—dpa
