Why the Supreme Court tiptoeing past a key social media shield helps Big Tech

By BARBARA ORTUTAY
AP Technology Writer

Google, Twitter, Facebook and other tech companies fueled by social media have dodged a legal threat that could have blown a huge hole in their business models. The U.S. Supreme Court delivered the reprieve Thursday by rejecting one lawsuit alleging social media platforms should be held liable for enabling a lethal attack on a Turkish nightclub and tossing another case back to a lower court. Those moves preserve a law known as Section 230 that shields social media services from being held responsible for the material posted on their platforms. The Associated Press explains why the law matters and why it still may be changed.