Court Rules X Corp Must Face Lawsuit Over Child Abuse Content
A ruling from the United States Court of Appeals has determined that X Corp. must face allegations of negligence regarding its handling of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platform. The decision, issued on Friday by Judge Danielle Forrest, reinstates claims that the social media company failed to effectively remove such content and lacked a proper reporting infrastructure.
This case stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021 against Twitter, prior to its rebranding to X. The plaintiffs, two underage boys, assert that the platform “slow-walked” its response to reports of pornographic content that a trafficker had coerced them into producing.
In a previous ruling, a three-judge panel had unanimously found that X enjoyed legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from liability for user-generated content. The latest decision from Judge Forrest acknowledges parts of that ruling but emphasizes that X must address the claims of negligence related to the reporting of child pornography.
The lawsuit highlights the experiences of a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old boy who were manipulated by online sex traffickers into sharing sexually explicit images. According to the legal complaint, the 13-year-old reported the illegal content through Twitter’s reporting system, while his mother also filed a complaint. They received only automated responses initially, and it was not until nine days later that Twitter removed the post, suspended the offending account, and reported the matter to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as mandated by federal law.
The implications of this case could be significant, potentially influencing how social media platforms handle reports of abuse. Should it escalate to the Supreme Court, the outcome could reshape the legal landscape for online content management. For now, X Corp. will need to prepare its defense against the renewed allegations in district court following Judge Forrest’s ruling.
