LEXOLOGY – Mar 16 – The lawsuit was dismissed under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which continues to act as one of the strongest legal protections for social media companies. The case involved a dispute between Grindr and an individual who was maliciously targeted through the platform by his former lover. Plaintiff Herrick alleged that his ex-boyfriend set up several fake profiles on Grindr that claimed to be him. Over a thousand users responded to the impersonating profiles. Herrick's ex‑boyfriend, pretending to be Herrick, would then direct the men to Herrick's work-place and home and telling them that he had certain rape fantasies. The impersonating profiles were reported to Grindr (the app's operator), but Herrick claimed that Grindr did not respond, other than to send an automated message. When Congress enacted Section 230 of the CDA in 1996, it sought to provide protections that would permit online services to thrive without the threat of crippling civil liability for the bad acts of its users. Over 20 years since its passage, the Act has indisputably served that purpose.
