Headline, April 02 2025/ STUDENTS : ''' BIG TECH BIT '''

STUDENTS : 

''' BIG TECH BIT '''

CELESTIAL HAPPENINGS !WOW! : WERE YOU to click on top of this page, !WOW! - you will be delighted to find that the Founders of !WOW! have begun their journey on A.I. for '' Constitutional Democratic Conventions.''

ON !WOW! - you all will do well to remember that great things can be accomplished - in the service of humanity - if it doesn't matter, not a whit, as to who gets the credit

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THE THING ABOUT !WOW! - THE THING ABOUT changing the world is that you have to be patient, resilient and focused and sacrificing. Greatest Good must always prevail.

The Universe does not bend to the earthly time scales and events are governed by the unalterable realities, will and greatness of the Parents and Students of the world. WELCOME ALL - to '' The World Students Society. ''

BIG TECH SHOULD PAY FOR WHAT IT HAS DONE : And then it really and finally happened. Social media companies are starting to be held accountable for the toxicity of their algorithmic grip.

In a first ruling of its kind, a California Superior Court Jury found recently that Meta and YouTube are liable for trying to addict users through their design choices.

The consequences for the industry could be significant. This case is only one of a thousands set to be litigated across the country, and courts are seeking to consolidate them.

This could wind up with a single significant settlement similar to the agreement that the four largest cigarette makers made in 1998 to resolve lawsuits for an estimated $206 billion as part of a master agreement with 46 states in the US.

Compensating users for the harm caused by their products is just the silver lining. The real win would be if the social media giants are finally forced to design less harmful products.

I'm talking about features like infinite scroll, which entices users with seemingly endless content, or autoplay, which automatically starts videos before our eyes. And of course, there are the algorithms that spread misinformation and amplify outrage.

These are all techniques that Big Tech uses to keep us staring at the screen for as long as possible. Too bad if its profitable practices extract a terrible cost on users and on the global society.

For years, Big Tech has defended itself from allegations of harm by repeatedly playing the get-out-of-jail-free card it was granted in a 1996 law. Known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, it freed tech companies from liability for the content users posted on their sites.

And all manner of tech companies used it for decades to successfully defend themselves from a growing list of allegations that they enable deadly drug sales, sexual harassment and illegal arms sales.

A new generation of lawsuits is starting to pierce that veil. Rather than alleging that the content was harmful, the plaintiffs argue that the company's design features and algorithms are perpetrating harm.

'' The Tech industry has historically insulated itself from scrutiny by asserting Section 230, the First Amendment, or both. But that time is over,'' said Meetali Jain, founder of Tech Justice Law Project, a nonprofit advocacy and litigation group.

In the California case, a jury ruled that Meta and YouTube must pay $6 million in financial damages to  K.G.M, an anonymous 20-year-old who testified that social media's beauty filters caused her serious anxiety about her appearance.

Features like autoplay and '' like '' counts let her check how many users voted on her posts, contributing to her depression.

The verdict is likely to be appealed. And we'll probably see contradictory rulings as other plaintiff cases get tried in courts across the United States.

But with this ruling, the era of holding tech companies accountable for their antisocial choices has finally begun.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Big Tech, Law and the Future continues. The World Students Society thanks Julia Angwin, the founder of Proof News and writes about tech policy.

She is the author of the forthcoming book '' ON COURAGE : How to Be a Dissident in the Age of Fear.''

With most respectful dedication to the Global Founder Framers of !WOW!, Leaders, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers and Mankind.

See you all prepare for the Great '' Constitutional Democratic Convention " on !WOW! : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter X !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless