Carrie Goldberg, founder of C. A. Goldberg, PLLC will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce at a hearing entitled “Holding Big Tech Accountable: Targeted Reforms to Tech’s Legal Immunity” tomorrow, December 1st.
C.A. Goldberg, PLLC founder Carrie Goldberg will testify about our ideas for legal reform to rein in the antisocial business practices of Big Tech. As the only litigator on the panel who sues against Big Tech, and founder of one of the few firms that goes to bat against these behemoths, she will speak to the injuries of our clients.
She will also present our own proposed bill – the Herrick Act Against Violence Online (“HAAVO”) – named after our client, Matthew Herrick, who was horrifically stalked through the app Grindr and betrayed by our justice system which said Grindr was immune from liability because of Section 230.
Since we founded the firm almost eight years ago, we’ve been passionately critical of the legal protections afforded to Big Tech. Until recently, it seemed like we were screaming for change into a vacuum.
Now the tides have turned and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are finally ready to demand change. But what will change? Congress created this mess and must fix it. In 1995 Congress created Section 230 that courts have interpreted far beyond the narrow intentions of the law which has effectively banned our clients from getting redress for their injuries caused by tech.
Our main point to Congress is this: WHAT IS ILLEGAL OFFLINE SHOULD BE ILLEGAL ONLINE.
Carrie’s remarks will follow the second congressional appearance of Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugen, who last month appeared at a Senate Commerce hearing after leaking documents about internal Facebook research which proved that the company knows, in excruciating detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws (/features) which cause huge harm to users.
Time and again, the documents show, Facebook’s researchers have identified the platform’s ill effects. Time and again, despite congressional hearings, its own pledges and numerous media exposés, the company didn’t fix them. – The Facebook Files, Wall Street Journal
The hearing, focused on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, is the first of two scheduled for December to dig deep on criticism of tech giants. It will be followed by a consumer protection subcommittee hearing on proposals to enhance transparency and promote online safety on December 9th.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, is set to testify on December 6th about the social media platform’s influence on children.
There has been significant criticism of Big Tech on both sides of the aisle, but few are in agreement on the path forward. It’s hoped this month’s hearings will seed the beginnings of a consensus on reform.
Also speaking will be: Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, Common Sense Media founder and CEO James Steyer, Karen Kornbluh, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, Matt Wood, VP of policy and general counsel at Free Press Action, and Mary Anne Franks, professor at the University of Miami School of Law.
Click here to watch the hearing
Need to catch-up? Read this: WTF is the CDA230?