US Court Rules TikTok Can Be Held Liable for User Death, Piercing Section 230 Shield

A federal appeals court ruled that social media platforms are not automatically protected from liability when their algorithms promote harmful content. The case involved TikTok and a lawsuit filed by a mother whose daughter died after participating in a dangerous challenge promoted on the platform. The court determined that by recommending the harmful content, TikTok went beyond being a neutral platform and could be held responsible for the consequences. This decision potentially impacts all websites relying on user-generated content and algorithms for recommendations, as it weakens the legal shield that protected them from lawsuits related to user harm.