On June 12. Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero were listed among the 49 victims held hostage and slain at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The incident is currently marked as the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this century. Six months after gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at the nightclub, the parents of the three men killed are suing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube owner Google.
Representatives of the victims are accusing the online networks of providing the terrorist group Isis with material support to raise funds, spread disturbing propaganda, and attract new recruits much like Mateen.
Juan Guerrero, the father of Juan Ramon Guerrero, told Fox, “I wish we could get some regulations put in place. They have to do something to prevent these people from doing things like this.”
Witnesses say Mateen repeatedly affirmed his allegiance to the Islamic State. Although the gunman later was not found to be a member of the hate group, the lawsuits express social media networks are still to blame for Mateen being radicalized by Isis through the usage of their online tools. However, the case will have to swim through some tough water, due to a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA).
Section of 230 of the CDA states that “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” Online publishers are 100 percent protected under this act and are not responsible for user-generated content.
Facebook, Google, or Twitter have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
