Families of Pulse victims sue social media giants

ORLANDO, Fla. — The families of three victims killed at the Pulse nightclub in June have filed a lawsuit against Facebook, Google and Twitter.

The families said the social media giants played a role in the mass shooting involving Omar Mateen. The lawsuit states the social media sites provide ISIS with accounts used to help radicalize Mateen.

“If these companies were to detect and deter or stop these behaviors, they could make a significant impact on ISIS’s ability to use these websites,” said Keith Altman, an attorney who is representing the three families.

Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS before he killed 49 people inside the club and injured more than 50 others in Orlando.

The families said the social media accounts spread propaganda, raise funds and attract ISIS recruits.

“There are behaviors that they could be looking for,” Altman said.

A professor at the University of Central Florida told Channel 9's Michael Lopardi that social media has made it easier for terrorists to record content and publish it online.

“I do believe that the law is fairly well-settled that online service providers, like the defendants here, are protected from claims based on the speech of third parties,” said Longwood attorney Lawrence Walters, who has represented media companies and specializes in First Amendment law.

The plaintiffs argue the websites are liable and claim they create content by pairing ads with posts. Walters believes that argument won’t stand in court.

Read the lawsuit here.

Cox Media Group