IBM Proposes Curbing Legal Protections for Internet Companies
- Executive says tech platforms should do more to stop abuses
- IBM backs new ‘reasonable care’ standard for firms’ liability
Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg
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International Business Machines Corp. on Wednesday threw its support behind enacting a new policy to limit liability protections enjoyed by internet platforms such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc.
Ryan Hagemann, an IBM government and regulatory affairs technology policy executive, said in a blog post that internet companies shouldn’t automatically have legal protection for what third parties post on their platforms. Instead, their liability exemption -- part of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act -- should be based on the condition they take action to curb harmful uses of their services, he said.