TPA Applauds Rulings in Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google

For Immediate Release                                                   Contact: Abigail Graham: (202) 417-7235

May 18, 2023                                                                          

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), a nonprofit, nonpartisan taxpayer and consumer watchdog organization, celebrated two Supreme Court rulings that will preserve a vibrant and consumer-driven internet. The Supreme Court on Thursday resolved Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google, two cases with vast significance for the future of online speech. Unanimously, the Court dismissed legal arguments that, if given the force of law, could have exposed platforms to overburdensome and undue liability and gutted 47 U.S. Code § 230, the law better known as Section 230.

In both cases, litigants sought to hold online platforms liable for hosting terrorist content. Gonzalez and Taamneh argued that this should equate legally to aiding and abetting terrorism. However, there is a vast amount of user-generated content posted to, and consumed on, online platforms every day. It is impossible for tech companies to immediately remove all troublesome content.

The High Court recognized this basic reality of online speech in its unanimous opinion in Taamneh, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas. In Gonzalez, the Court remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for consideration in light of the Taamneh ruling.

TPA Executive Director Patrick Hedger provided the following comments:

“For all the bluster and misinformation around it, Section 230 is a simple law that essentially says you are responsible for what you say online, not necessarily the website where you say it. While the Supreme Court did not directly address Section 230, these rulings undeniably affirm the basic idea behind the statute.

“Today’s rulings in Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google are unquestionable victories for free speech and a consumer-driven internet by shielding online platforms from unreasonable liability for user content. The internet as we know it, the most powerful engine for free expression and economic growth the world has ever known, remains intact.”

###

 Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.