This lawsuit involves troubling allegations that Facebook executives (allegedly, Nick Clegg, Nicola Mendelsohn, and Cristian Perrella) took bribes from OnlyFans-related entities to spike Facebook and Instagram posts that promoted competitors of OnlyFans. Allegedly, the spiking included naming the plaintiffs on the services’ lists of “dangerous individuals or organizations,” which then fed into GIFCT to block the plaintiffs on other sites too.
These allegations sound so fantastical that they are hard to believe, yet the plaintiffs have introduced evidence–including a whistleblower report–that was persuasive enough to Judge Alsup to defeat a motion to dismiss. You probably know by now that Judge Alsup gives the benefit of the doubt to plaintiffs on motions to dismiss, only to hammer them on summary judgment if their evidence doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. So I’m not reading too much yet into Judge Alsup’s decision, but it’s nevertheless a disappointing ruling for Facebook.
Section