Court Rules Meta Must Face Lawsuit Over Fraudulent Ads

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

A federal law that confers broad immunity to Big Tech companies does not cover breach of contract claims, appeals court rules.

Facebook parent company Meta must face a lawsuit over claims it breached its terms of service by soliciting fraudulent advertisements from Chinese companies, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Christopher Calise and Anastasia Groschen sued Facebook in 2022 after they bought items advertised on Facebook. Mr. Caliseโ€™s car engine assembly kit did not arrive. Ms. Groschenโ€™s toddler activity board did arrive, but it was a puzzle, not a board.

The pair said Facebook was unjustly enriching itself and being negligent by not only accepting but soliciting ads from scammers. That included efforts to solicit ads from China-based advertisers, despite internal data indicating nearly three-in-10 such ads violated one or more Facebook policies.

They also said that Facebook was breaching the contract it made with users when it stated in its terms of service that if it learned of harmful conduct, โ€œwe will take appropriate action,โ€ but instead solicited, encouraged, and assisted deceptive advertisers.

The entire case was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who ruled the claims were barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

However, Judge White was wrong to toss the breach allegations, according to the new ruling, which came from a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Section 230 confers immunity on providers โ€œof an interactive computer serviceโ€ for โ€œinformation provided by another information content provider.โ€ The law bars treating the providers โ€œas a publisher or speakerโ€ in such cases.

But Meta โ€œhas failed to meet its burden of showing that ยง 230(c)(1) applies to plaintiffsโ€™ contract-related claims, because these claims do not โ€™seek to treat [Meta] as a publisher or speaker,’โ€ U.S. Circuit Judge Ryan Nelson, writing for the majority, said.

โ€œTo the extent that Meta manifested its intent to be legally obligated to โ€™take appropriate action’ to combat scam advertisements, it became bound by a contractual duty separate from its status as a publisher. We thus hold that Metaโ€™s duty arising from its promise to moderate third-party advertisements is unrelated to Metaโ€™s publisher status, and ยง 230(c)(1) does not apply to plaintiffsโ€™ contract claims,โ€ he added later.

Byย Zachary Stieber

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

ChatGPT Goes Biblical about End Times!

There are some truly outstanding internet content creators, or...

Bangkok Indians: โ€˜You Are Lucky Manโ€™

In Bangkok, friendly prostitutes outside โ€œmassageโ€ shops tell me Iโ€™m โ€œso handsome man.โ€ Indian men prowling those streets tell me Iโ€™m โ€œlucky man.โ€

Epsteinโ€™s Niece Exposes the Illuminati!

There is a shocking interview by the podcaster Shaun Attwood, an English former ecstasy trafficker turned YouTube podcaster, speaker, activist, and author.

When Gynocrats Attack: Innocent Locker Room Talk Interrupted By Rabid Karen

The question posed: โ€œWho do you think has a...

Obamaโ€™s Treason is a Betrayal of American Democracy and Demands Real Accountability

Few scandals have cast a longer shadow than the 2016 Russia investigationโ€”the manufactured crisis by President Obama designed to cripple Trump's presidency.

Trumps America: Welpโ€ฆ that backfired.

The official @TheDemocrats account posted chart with the caption โ€œTrumpโ€™s Americaโ€ โ€” but didnโ€™t seem to notice how their own graph actually works.

Education Department to Release Billions in Withheld Grant Money for Schools

Dept. of Education said OMB completed a review of 2025 public education allocations โ€œand will begin dispersing funds to the states next week.โ€

Judge Maintains Nationwide Block on Trumpโ€™s Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge in Massachusetts has maintained his nationwide block on President Donald Trumpโ€™s policy restricting birthright citizenship.

COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Brain Aging Even in People Who Didnโ€™t Get Virus: Study

Brain aging appears to have accelerated by months during COVID-19 pandemic, even in people who did not get sick from the virus, according to study.

Ex-DOJ Officials File Lawsuit Against Bondi Over Terminations

Former DOJ officials filed lawsuit against AG Bondi and the fed. govt, saying they were terminated for work on cases related to Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Odds of U.S.-EU Trade Deal Are 50โ€“50 Ahead of Tariff Deadline: Trump

President Donald Trump said thereโ€™s a 50โ€“50 chance that the United States will finalize a trade deal with the European Union before an Aug. 1 deadline.

Trump Pulls Habbaโ€™s Nomination for New Jerseyโ€™s Top Prosecutor, Making Her Acting US Attorney

President Trump withdrew his nomination of Alina Habba to serve as NJโ€™s top federal prosecutor, making her Acting US Attorney.

Trump Says He Wants Muskโ€™s Companies to โ€˜Thrive Like Never Beforeโ€™

On Thursday, President Trump said, โ€œI want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!โ€
spot_img

Related Articles