Lawmakers want to let users sue over harmful social media algorithms
TL;DR
Lawmakers propose the Algorithm Accountability Act to amend Section 230, making social media platforms liable for harms caused by their recommendation algorithms. This could allow users to sue over foreseeable damages.
Tech critics' least favorite law is under siege again, this time with a focus on its recommendation algorithms.
On Wednesday Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Algorithm Accountability Act, which amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to make platforms responsible for preventing their recommendation systems from causing certain foreseeable harms. Section 230 is the law that shields online platforms - including social media sites, digital forums, blogs with comment sections, and their users - from being held liable for other people's unlawful posts, or for engaging in good faith content moderation. Bu …