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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

MySpace Isn’t Liable for Predators, Court Rules

(CN) - MySpace is immune from liability in cases of sexual assaults stemming from people meeting through the site, a California appeals court ruled. Four girls, aged 13 to 15, sued the social networking Web site after they were assaulted by men they met online.

"MySpace has made a decision not to implement reasonable, basic safety precautions with regards to protecting young children from sexual predators," the girls complained.

The Web site does list warnings to its users about privacy and the potential for online users to falsify their ages or identities.

The girls' cases were dismissed, and that decision was upheld on appeal by Justice Bigelow of the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles.

Bigelow ruled that MySpace is immune pursuant to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

"(The girls) want MySpace to ensure that sexual predators do not gain access to minors on their website," Bigelow wrote. "That type of activity -- to restrict or make available certain material -- is expressly covered by section 230."

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