Meta recently scored a temporary victory in court, warding off a lawsuit attempting to leverage Section 230 to protect a tool that would allow Facebook users more control over their news feeds. The tool in question, dubbed Unfollow Everything 2.0, was developed by Ethan Zuckerman, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who hoped to give users an option to toggle their news feeds on or off—a feature that, to put it mildly, doesn’t align with Meta’s vision of a hyper-engaged user base.
The backstory here goes back to a similar tool released by another developer, which Meta threatened to sue out of existence. Anticipating a similar reception, Zuckerman preemptively filed a lawsuit against Meta, invoking Section 230 in the hopes of shielding his project. The professor, a vocal advocate for reforming social media, explained in May that he was “suing Facebook to make it better,” an aspiration likely shared by more than a few Facebook users.
Whether Section 230 can indeed be used to safeguard user-focused modifications to a platform’s design is an open question, but Zuckerman's approach could set a precedent, if it survives the court’s scrutiny. Meta, for its part, seems intent on defending its own vision of user engagement—uninterrupted scrolling included.
arstechnica.com
The backstory here goes back to a similar tool released by another developer, which Meta threatened to sue out of existence. Anticipating a similar reception, Zuckerman preemptively filed a lawsuit against Meta, invoking Section 230 in the hopes of shielding his project. The professor, a vocal advocate for reforming social media, explained in May that he was “suing Facebook to make it better,” an aspiration likely shared by more than a few Facebook users.
Whether Section 230 can indeed be used to safeguard user-focused modifications to a platform’s design is an open question, but Zuckerman's approach could set a precedent, if it survives the court’s scrutiny. Meta, for its part, seems intent on defending its own vision of user engagement—uninterrupted scrolling included.
Meta beats suit over tool that lets Facebook users unfollow everything
The tool will likely be released anyway, testing Meta’s litigiousness.
arstechnica.com