Should digital platform owners be held liable for user-generated content?
Russia-born tech tycoon Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was arrested in Paris on August 24, 2024. French authorities announced that Mr. Durov is under investigation for a litany of serious crimes, including enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material on the app, facilitating drug trafficking, and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. Should digital platform owners be held liable for user-generated content? Pranesh Prakash and Rohit Kumar discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Aaratrika Bhaumik. Edited excerpts:
Does Telegram’s lax content moderation policy and purported reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement agencies justify the indictment of its founder? Pranesh Prakash: It remains unclear the extent to which Telegram’s content moderation polici...