Crowdfunding Site Not Liable for Fraudulent Fundraiser

A Federal District Court in Maryland recently granted a crowdfunding website immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) from any claims arising from a fraudulent fundraiser posted on its website. The CDA states, “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

Kimani Johnson, with assistance from a friend, Catina Harris, posted information about a fundraiser on the GiveForward website claiming Johnson’s son was suffering from a heart condition. As a new fundraising campaign, GiveForward assigned a fundraising coach to Johnson to offer fundraising tips.