Facebook’s Greater Threat Is the Law, Not Lawsuits

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Meta Platforms Inc. has become a lightening rod for legal challenges in the US, from the FTC’s antitrust case to shareholder lawsuits alleging the company misled investors. Last week, eight complaints were filed against the company across the US, including allegations that young people who frequently visited Instagram and Facebook went on to commit suicide and experience eating disorders. (Facebook has not commented on the litigation, and has denied allegations in the FTC and shareholder complaints.)

While the lawsuits strike at the heart of Meta’s noxious social impact and could help educate the public on the details, they likely won’t force significant change at Facebook. That’s because Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shields Facebook and other internet companies from liability for much of what their users post. Unless US law changes — and there are no signs this is happening soon — Meta’s lawyers can continue to use that defense.       

But that won’t be the case in Europe. Two new laws coming down the pipe promise to change how Meta’s algorithms show content to its 3 billion users. The UK’s Online Safety Bill, which could come into force next year, and the European Union’s Digital Services Act, likely coming into force in 2024, are both aimed at preventing psychological harms from social platforms. They’ll force large internet companies to share information about their algorithms to regulators, who will assess how “risky” they are.

Mark Scott, chief technology correspondent with Politico and a close follower of those laws, answered questions about how they’d work, as well as what the limitations are, on Twitter Spaces with me last Wednesday. Our discussion is edited below.

Parmy Olson: What are the