They say online companies have taken advantage of legal immunity.
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Frank Pallone of New Jersey, leaders of the House Commerce Committee, have proposed the repeal of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The law was previously enacted to protect online companies that host user-generated content, preventing them from legal responsibility for illicit content posted to their websites.
In an op-ed, the two legislators stated, “Big Tech companies are exploiting the law to shield them from any responsibility or accountability as their platforms inflict immense harm on Americans, especially children.”
“These blanket protections have resulted in tech firms operating without transparency or accountability for how they manage their platforms. This means that a social-media company, for example, can’t easily be held responsible if it promotes, amplifies or makes money from posts selling drugs, illegal weapons or other illicit content,” they wrote.
They said that the “intent of the legislation is not to have Section 230 actually sunset, but to encourage all technology companies to work with Congress to advance a long-term reform solution to Section 230.”
Congressman Pallone stated, “Section 230 has outlived its usefulness and has played an outsized role in creating today’s ‘profits over people’ Internet.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Representatives Pallone and McMorris Rodgers to be discerning in their pursuit of revisions to Section 230.
- For members of Congress as they consider the proposal to change the corporate liability under the Communications Decency Act.
Sources: The Hill, Ars Technica
