They’re going to get litigated to death anyways, if they are taking the legal position that they are a publisher and not a service provider. It makes them liable for the content they publish and the consequences of it being published, which means everyone and their grandmother can cite FB’s public position that they are a publisher when they sue them over [fill in the blank]. You don’t have to put out a call for people to sue FB. It’s just going to happen.
Honestly, I think FB is stupid to call themselves a publisher anyway. They (their organization or employees and associates) do not generate the fast majority of the content there. Their user’s do. This makes them a service provider, or a conduit for the transmission of information. This should be their official position too, as it would protect them from being responsible for the information that is transmitted, except possible for issues directly related to public safety, but they decided that being political and social activists were more important and wanted to be able to filter what get’s sent and seen.
Well stated. These battles will be going on for a while.
As a service provider, are they allowed to monetize advertising (content)?
Yes, great distinction: Publisher or Service Provider.