Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has been sued over the killing of a federal security guard in 2020 in a move that aims to challenge a federal statute that shields websites and social media platforms from liability for what users post.
The guard's sister filed a lawsuit on Wednesday that argued that Facebook was to blame for the harm done to law enforcement officers. The brother of Ms. Jacobs was shot and killed in May 2020 by an Air Force sergeant with antigovernment ties, according to the F.B.I.
The shooting was the culmination of an extremists plot hatched and planned on Facebook by two men who Meta connected through Facebook's groups infrastructure and its use of algorithms designed and intended to increase user engagement, according to the complaint.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields internet companies and websites from liability for what their users post. Internet companies and website operators are protected by that law.
Ms. Jacobs claimed that Facebook had become a breeding ground for extremists and hosted groups that advocated for violence, discussed tactical strategies, combat medicine and the merits of specific weapons. The men involved in the death of her brother were attracted to the groups because of the company's recommendation algorithms.
Steven Carrillo, the sergeant, and Robert Justus, the man he drove with to Oakland, have been charged with murder and attempted murder. Both pleaded not guilty.
Meta banned more than 1,000 militarized social movements from its platform and worked closely with experts to address the broader issue of internet radicalization. There is no legal basis for these claims.
Meta has a presence on its platforms of militant social movements. On Thursday, one organization ran ads on the photo-sharing platform to recruit members for a grass-roots movement that pursues readying individual militiamen. The account was later removed from the company.
