USCIB, along with the Chamber of Commerce, NFTC and Business Roundtable submitted an amicus brief on December 6 in support of Twitter. The Ninth Circuit has determined that Twitter, along with Google and Facebook, were generally aware that some supporters or members of ISIS—an international terrorist organization—were among the billions of users on their social media platforms; therefore, these companies are potentially liable for an ISIS attack that killed 39 people in Istanbul. The amicus brief argues that the Ninth Circuit’s decision should be reversed.

According to USCIB General Counsel Nancy Thevenin, these companies could be subjected to liability for ISIS’s terrorist acts, even though they barred pro-terrorist content from their platforms and regularly removed such content when they become aware of it.

The amicus brief adds: “The court of appeals’ ruling effectively eviscerates Congress’s requirements that defendants must knowingly provide substantial assistance to an injury-causing terrorist attack before they may be held civilly liable under the Act. That dramatic expansion of liability would have significant adverse consequences for the entire business community.”