Section 230, the legislation that protects social media platforms, was discussed at a hearing of Big Tech companies on Wednesday, and we should pay attention, because experts say the implications of changing or removing Section 230 would “set the internet on fire.”
Supreme Court hears case challenging law protecting social media companies
The CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter were questioned about their content moderation practices on Wednesday, according to USA Today. Many government officials blamed Section 230 for allowing these companies to get away with just about anything. While there has been talk of changing the law that protects websites from liability for what their users post, government officials are beginning to take serious steps to amend or eliminate Section 230.
“We must also be aware that undermining Section 230 will lead to far greater removals of online speech and severely limit our collective ability to tackle harmful content and protect people online,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in his prepared testimony.
The Communications Decency Act (CDA) is part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was created as the Internet grew and expanded in the 1990s and was originally intended to regulate pornographic material. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA) created Section 230 within the CDA to protect speech on the Internet.
