Alabama Federal Judge Denies Section 230 Immunity to MindGeek, Claims Pornhub is a Publisher
Earlier today, an Alabama federal judge shut down MindGeek’s petition to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed by Jane Does over content posted on Pornhub that allegedly depicts instances of their human trafficking. The judge claimed that Section 230 protections over third party content do not apply to MIndGeek because the company “exert[ed] extensive control over the development of pornographic content on their websites.” This is a highly unusual decision, which sidesteps a discussion of the nuances Section 230 by making the unprecedented blanket claim that Pornhub was a publisher -- not a platform – thus thereby assigning liability to them for any third-party content posted on the tube site. #myadultattorney Corey D. Silverstein had this to say about this development: "Thankfully, Judge Coogler’s erroneous decision will not be the final word in this case. The 11th Circuit, if/when is given the opportunity, will hopefully correct this wrong. This is just another example of the continued attacks and attempts to narrow the protections offered by Section 230 — the very law that has allowed the evolution of the free sharing of information on the internet. I continue to find these decisions and lawmakers attempts (EARN IT Act) to narrow and…