Eleventh Circuit Judge Eyes ‘Absurdity Doctrine’ in Omegle Case

Nov. 18, 2022, 12:18 AM UTC

US Circuit Judge Edward Carnes questioned during oral argument Thursday in an Eleventh Circuit case whether it would be “absurd” for courts to read the plain language of a complicated anti-sex trafficking amendment to the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 immunity for internet platforms.

Carnes attempted to identify the threshold where Omegle.com LLC, a video-chatting website that links strangers, should face legal liability in a case alleging that it paired an 11-year-old girl with a sex predator.

Section 230 is the provision of federal law that broadly protects online platforms from legal liability over user content. A 2018 amendment to ...

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