Giving the relief to YouTube in a lawsuit filed against the platform by the Co-Founder of Apple Inc. Steve Wozniak, the California State Judge in the tentative ruling said that federal law provides protection to internet platforms against the responsibility of the content posted by users. This means that in its current form, the complaint filed against YouTube won’t be taken forward by the court.
In the lawsuit filed against YouTube, Wozniak charged YouTube for not removing fraudulent videos which show his image in a Bitcoin scam. Some of the videos available on YouTube use the image of Wozniak and claim that he will give away double the number of Bitcoins to users in a live event. Wozniak argued that YouTube not only failed to remove the videos from its platform but also “materially contributed” to the scam by selling targeted ads to channels circulating these fake videos. Further, YouTube was also charged with verifying these channels that consist of these fake videos.
Sunil R. Kulkarnia, Superior Court Judge, Santa Clara County, said that all the factors mentioned by the Wozniak were not enough to remove the immunity that Section 230 of the federal law provides to internet platforms. This means the matter can’t be taken further in its current form, although the judge gave 30 days to Wozniak to revise his complaint against the video streaming platform.
The complainant claims that the fake video circulated on YouTube promised users that they would get an opportunity to double their Bitcoins. Along with Wozniak, the video also used other well-known corporate leaders such as Bill Gates of Microsoft and Elon Musk of Tesla to lure the viewers. There are several such fake videos available on the internet, and to steer clear of any fraud, investors should take all the precautions and desist from the urge to make fast money online.
