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Google’s lawyer said the Supreme Court’s ruling could turn internet into ‘Truman show versus horror show’

Beatrice Gonzalez and Jose Hernandez, the mother and stepfather of Nohemi Gonzalez, who was killed during a 2015 terrorist attack in Paris, look on during a media availability outside the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in Twitter v. Taamneh Feb. 22, 2023
Beatrice Gonzalez and Jose Hernandez, the mother and stepfather of Nohemi Gonzalez, who was killed during a 2015 terrorist attack in Paris, look on during a media availability outside the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in Twitter v. Taamneh Feb. 22, 2023 Photo: Francis Chung/POLITICO (AP)

It’s easy for tech policy issues to quickly start sounding amorphous and inhuman. Google’s lawyer appeared to recognize that and forcefully described to justices the way the internet could change if 230 protections were weakened. Blatt, the attorney, said some platforms, eager to avoid litigation, could remove recommendations or be compelled to remove posts about terrorism or really any other remotely controversial issue, leaving users with an incomplete version of reality. Other platforms, on the other hand, could go the other route and opt for any anything goes model where they refuse to moderate even the most egregious content.

Users, Blatt said, would be left to choose between “The Truman Show versus the horror show.”

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