Two new lawsuits argue that YouTube, along with its parent companies Alphabet and Google, and Reddit bear responsibility for helping to radicalize the mass shooter who killed 10 Black people at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in 2022.
The suits were filed Tuesday on behalf of 16 survivors of the racially-motivated massacre, and on behalf of Wayne Jones, son of Celestine Chaney, a 65-year-old grandmother of nine who was killed in the attack.
Prior to the shooting, the gunman reportedly used YouTube, Reddit, and other social media platforms to learn about conspiracy theories, including The Great Replacement, a white supremacist ideology.
The shooter, who was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year, “developed plans for a violent, racist attack using detailed information he obtained from social media sources,” according to both complaints.
— Rebecca Ruiz in Lawsuit: YouTube and Reddit helped radicalize Buffalo mass shooter