NY Judges Hesitant to Impose Liability on Tech Giants Over Buffalo Mass Shooting

New York's top judges are struggling to determine if Meta Platforms Inc., Reddit Inc., and Alphabet Inc.'s Google can be held liable for a 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, NY.

The judges are concerned that holding the social media companies accountable could expose them to broad liability for harms perpetuated by users.

A group of survivors and family members of the shooting victims are seeking to revive their claims against Meta, Reddit, and Google, arguing that the algorithms used by these platforms to push out tailored content are defective and designed to addict young users.

The plaintiffs want to hold the companies accountable for disseminating harmful content and are pushing for a ruling that could set a precedent for future cases involving social media companies and user-generated content.