Rand Paul says personal experience with YouTube and Google changed his mind about platform liability
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., explained that his personal experience with Big Tech led him to change his thinking and that he now believes companies should be responsible for the content published on their platforms.
Paul claimed that YouTube and its parent company, Google, refused to remove a video falsely claiming to have received money from Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro.
“I have officially notified Google that this video is not supported by facts, defames me, harasses me, and now endangers my life. Google said they did not investigate the veracity of the accusations… and refused to remove the video,” the senator said. he said. opinion piece It was published by the New York Post on Monday.
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Paul also noted that the person who posted the offending video removed it “under threat of legal retribution.”
“My default position as a libertarian/conservative has been to defend internet liability protections, known in law as Section 230 of the Communications Act. Courts have largely held that Section 230 protects social media companies from being sued for content created by third parties,” he wrote. “Until now I had not adequately considered the impact of internet providers hosting content that accuses people of committing crimes.”
This experience was a turning point in his thinking.
“Google’s audacity to continue publishing this defamatory video and the resulting threats to my life have caused me to rethink Congress’s blind adherence to liability shields,” he said.
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Paul accused the company of being inconsistent.
“Therefore, Google does not have a general policy of refraining from evaluating reality. Google chooses to evaluate what it believes is appropriate and consistent with its own biases,” he wrote.
“This complete lack of honesty, this inconsistent moderation of accuracy, this conscious refusal to remove illegal and defamatory content, has led me to conclude that the internet’s immunity from liability, a government-granted privilege and special immunity from our common law traditions, should not be fostered by liability shields, and I will pursue legislation aimed at that goal,” the senator said.
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“I think Google is or should have been responsible for hosting this defamatory video accusing me of treason, at least from the moment Google was made aware of the defamation and danger,” he said.
Fox News Digital contacted Google Wednesday for your comment.
