14 DAY TRIAL // Tamara Fields has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, requesting damages after the social network has allowed ISIS to spew its propaganda online using its platform, Jurist.org reports.
Mrs. Fields, a Florida resident, is the widow of Lloyd Fields, a US defense contractor that was killed in Amman, Jordan on November 9, 2015, when an armed terrorist smuggled weapons inside a police training center. The attacker was later linked to the Islamist State (ISIS, ISIL).
In a lawsuit filed three days ago in an Oakland, California court, Mrs. Fields is asking for a jury trial to determine if she's entitled to damages from Twitter Inc.
Widow blames Twitter for ISIS' rise
The woman is arguing that Twitter has provided an unmoderated service that has allowed the spread of violent messages from a terrorist group, and has thus broken the federal Anti-Terrorism Act.
"This material support has been instrumental to the rise of ISIS and has enabled it to carry out numerous terrorist attacks, including the November 9, 2015, shooting attack in Amman, Jordan in which Lloyd “Carl” Fields, Jr. was killed," the lawsuit reads.
She quotes the Brookings Institution, which says that without social media, and Twitter in specific, ISIS would have never been able to reach and recruit citizens from other countries, and would have never expanded so quickly.
She also quotes FBI Director James Comey, who also took a jab at Twitter in the past.
Twitter's stance regarding content has changed during 2015, when after the Charlie Hebdo and Paris November attacks, the social network has become more active in taking down reported accounts.
Twitter: Lawsuit is meritless
Regarding the lawsuit, the company also provided a written statement for the media: "While we believe the lawsuit is without merit, we are deeply saddened to hear of this family's terrible loss. Like people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups and their ripple effects on the Internet."
"Violent threats and the promotion of terrorism deserve no place on Twitter and, like other social networks, our rules make that clear. We have teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct, partnering with organizations countering extremist content online, and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate."
To win, the woman has to prove that Twitter has shown negligence and/or malintent when dealing with takedown requests regarding ISIS-affiliated content. Jurist.org has a copy of the lawsuit.