alt Hacker NewsThis brings to mind some of the “darker” subreddits that circle around drug abuse. I’m sure there are some terrible stories about young people going down tragic paths due to information they found on those subreddits, or even worse, encouragement. There’s even the commonly-discussed account that (allegedly) documented their first experiences with heroin, and then the hole of despair they fell into shortly afterwards due to addiction.
But the question here is one of liability. Is Reddit liable for the content available on its website, if that content encourages young impressionable people to abuse drugs irresponsibly? Is ChatGPT liable for the content available through its web interface? Is anyone liable for anything anymore in a post-AI world?
This is a useful question to ask in the context of carriers having specific defence. Also, publishers in times past had specific obligations. Common carrier and safe harbour laws.
I have heard it said that many online systems repudiate any obligation to act, lest they be required to act, and thus both acquire cost, and risk, when their enforcement of editorial standards fail: that which they permit, they will be liable for.