Editing Internet forum (section)

==Discussion==
{{more sources|date=June 2024}}
Forums prefer the premise of open and free discussion and often adopt [[de facto standard]]s. The most common topics on forums include questions, comparisons, polls of opinion, and debates. It is not uncommon for nonsense or unsocial behavior to sprout as people lose their temper, especially if the topic is controversial. Poor understanding of the differences in values among the participants is a common problem on forums. Because replies to a topic are often worded to target someone's point of view, discussion will usually go slightly off in several directions as people question each other's validity, sources, and so on. Circular discussion and ambiguity in replies can extend for several tens of posts in a thread, eventually ending when [[Ad nauseam|everyone gives up]] or attention spans waver and a more interesting subject takes over. It is not uncommon for debate to end in ''[[ad hominem]]'' attacks.

=== Liabilities of owners and moderators ===
Several [[lawsuit]]s have been brought against the forums and moderators, claiming [[Defamation|libel]] and damage.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

For the most part, forum owners and moderators in the United States are protected by [[Section 230]] of the [[Communications Decency Act]], which states that "[n]o 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".

In 2019, [[Facebook]] was faced with a [[class action]] lawsuit set forth by moderators diagnosed with [[post-traumatic stress disorder]]. It was settled for $52 million the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=2020-05-12 |title=Facebook will pay $52 million in settlement with moderators who developed PTSD on the job |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/12/21255870/facebook-content-moderator-settlement-scola-ptsd-mental-health |access-date=2021-07-19 |website=The Verge |language=en |archive-date=2021-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221020655/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/12/21255870/facebook-content-moderator-settlement-scola-ptsd-mental-health |url-status=live}}</ref>