This Week in Tech (Video) TWiT 1077: I Would Download a Car - New Jury Ruling Could Reshape Social Media Liability
Mar 30, 2026
Kathy Gellis, a Supreme Court-experienced tech attorney, Brian McCullough, tech reporter and podcaster, and Harper Reed, entrepreneur and AI practitioner, discuss landmark rulings tying platforms to addictive design. They cover Section 230 implications, a major PyPI supply-chain malware, AI agents and personification risks, FCC router guidance, and high-profile legal battles shaping tech liability and security.
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Jury Framing Makes Algorithms Look Like Defective Products
- Jurors treated social platforms' design choices as product defects rather than content moderation issues.
- Cathy Gellis warns that framing algorithms as defective substitutes for Section 230 protection and threatens broad legal exposure for platforms and small sites alike.
Build Appeals And Amicus Coalitions Immediately
- Prepare to appeal verdicts that sidestep Section 230 by arguing preemption and First Amendment protections.
- Cathy recommends organizing amicus turnout from smaller platforms to show catastrophic consequences if rulings stand.
Supreme Court Tightens Secondary Copyright Liability
- Supreme Court narrows secondary liability for copyright, limiting when ISPs can be held responsible for users' infringements.
- Cathy says the decision reframes Grokster rules and may reduce copyright holders' leverage against intermediaries like Cox.