{"id":314242,"date":"2021-08-03T12:50:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T09:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-section-230-allows-social-networks-to-thrive-and-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2021-08-03T12:50:21","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T09:50:21","slug":"how-section-230-allows-social-networks-to-thrive-and-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-section-230-allows-social-networks-to-thrive-and-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Section 230 allows social networks to thrive \u2014 and what&#8217;s next"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35efded2627\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35efded2627\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-section-230-allows-social-networks-to-thrive-and-whats-next\/#How_Section_230_came_to_be\" >How Section 230 came to be<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-section-230-allows-social-networks-to-thrive-and-whats-next\/#What_lies_ahead_for_social_media_reform\" >What lies ahead for social media reform<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How Section 230 allows <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> networks to thrive \u2014 and what&#8217;s next<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Almost any article you read about Section 230 reminds you that it contains the most important <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Twenty-Six-Words-That-Created-Internet\/dp\/1501714414\">26 words in tech<\/a> and that it is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/the-law-that-made-the-internet-what-it-is-today\/2019\/04\/26\/aa637f9c-57c5-11e9-9136-f8e636f1f6df_story.html\">the law that made the modern internet<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/privpapers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3184930\">This is all true<\/a>, but Section 230 is also the most significant obstacle to stopping misinformation online.<\/p>\n<p>Section 230 is part of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com\/9-502-8947?transitionType=Default&amp;contextData=(sc.Default)&amp;firstPage=true\">Communications Decency Act<\/a>, a 1996 law passed while the internet was still embryonic and downright terrifying to some lawmakers for what it could unleash, particularly with regard to pornography.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/xo23fcyip6?videoFoam=true&amp;autoPlay=true\" title=\"Whats it like to be a startup founder in Barcelona? Video\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Section 230 states that internet platforms \u2014 dubbed \u201cinteractive computer services\u201d in the statute \u2014 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/47\/230\">cannot be treated as publishers or speakers of content<\/a> provided by their users. This means that just about anything a user posts on a platform\u2019s website will not create legal liability for the platform, even if the post is defamatory, dangerous, abhorrent, or otherwise unlawful. This includes encouraging <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu\/blr\/vol83\/iss2\/16\/\">terrorism<\/a>, promoting <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2021-07-18\/senator-urges-holding-platforms-liable-for-covid-misinformation\">dangerous medical misinformation<\/a>, and engaging in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/263393864_Bare_necessities_The_argument_for_a_'revenge_porn'_exception_in_Section_230_immunity\">revenge porn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Platforms, including today\u2019s social media giants Facebook, Twitter, and Google, therefore have complete control over what information Americans see.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Section_230_came_to_be\"><\/span>How Section 230 came to be<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Communications Decency Act was the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.repository.law.indiana.edu\/fclj\/vol49\/iss1\/3\/\">brainchild of Sen. James Exon<\/a>, Democrat of Nebraska, who wanted to remove and prevent \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/congressional-record\/1995\/06\/14\/senate-section\/article\/S8310-3%20141\">filth<\/a>\u201d on the internet. Because of its overreaching nature, much of the law was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/1996\/96-511\">struck down on First Amendment grounds<\/a> shortly after the act\u2019s passage. Ironically, what remains is the provision that allowed filth and other truly damaging content to metastasize on the internet.<\/p>\n<p>Section 230\u2019s inclusion in the CDA was a last-ditch effort by then Rep. Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and Rep. Chris Cox, Republican of California, to save the nascent internet and its economic potential. They were deeply concerned by a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/h2o.law.harvard.edu\/cases\/4540\">1995 case<\/a> that found Prodigy, an online bulletin board operator, liable for a defamatory post by one of its users because Prodigy lightly moderated user content. Wyden and Cox wanted to preempt the court\u2019s decision with Section 230. Without it, platforms would face a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/Hobson%27s%20choice\">Hobson\u2019s choice<\/a>: If they did anything to moderate user content, they would be held liable for that content, and if they did nothing, who knew what unchecked horrors would be released.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_lies_ahead_for_social_media_reform\"><\/span>What lies ahead for social media reform<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When Section 230 was enacted, less than 8% of Americans had access to the internet, and those who did went online for an average of just 30 minutes a month. The law\u2019s anachronistic nature and brevity left it wide open for interpretation. Case by case, courts have used its words to give platforms <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/itif.org\/publications\/2021\/02\/22\/exceptions-section-230-how-have-courts-interpreted-section-230\">broad<\/a> rather than <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2019\/6\/21\/18700605\/section-230-internet-law-twenty-six-words-that-created-the-internet-jeff-kosseff-interview\">narrow immunity<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/section-230-internet-sacred-law-false-idol\/\">Section 230 is disliked on both sides of the aisle<\/a>. Democrats argue that Section 230 allows platforms to get away with too much, particularly with regard to misinformation that threatens <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/recode\/2021\/7\/22\/22588829\/amy-klobuchar-health-misinformation-act-section-230-covid-19-facebook-twitter-youtube-social-media\">public health<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/recode\/22221135\/capitol-riot-section-230-twitter-hawley-democrats\">democracy<\/a>. Republicans, by contrast, argue that platforms <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/section-230-what-it-is-and-why-politicians-want-to-change-it-11616664601\">censor user content to Republicans\u2019 political disadvantage<\/a>. Former President Trump even <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jackbrewster\/2020\/09\/08\/trump-points-to-anecdotal-evidence-of-big-tech-bias-as-he-calls-for-congress-to-repeal-section-230\/?sh=2feb208815c6\">attempted to pressure Congress into repealing Section 230 completely<\/a> by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/12\/02\/941019533\/trump-vows-to-veto-defense-bill-unless-shield-for-big-tech-is-scrapped\">threatening to veto<\/a> the unrelated annual defense spending bill.<\/p>\n<p>As criticisms of Section 230 and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> platforms mount, it is possible Congress could reform Section 230 in the near future. Already, Democrats and Republicans have proposed over <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/article\/2021\/mar\/01\/meet-section-230-most-important-law-protecting-onl\/\">20 reforms \u2013 from piecemeal changes to complete repeal<\/a>. However, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.ericgoldman.org\/archives\/2020\/09\/an-interview-on-why-section-230-is-on-the-endangered-watch-list.htm\">free speech<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/congress-blog\/politics\/472481-why-dismantling-section-230-would-shatter-free-speech-and\">innovation<\/a> advocates are worried that any of the proposed changes could be harmful.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/about.fb.com\/news\/2020\/02\/online-content-regulation\/\">suggested changes<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-socialmedia-congress\/facebook-google-ceos-suggest-ways-to-reform-key-internet-law-idUSKBN2BG29D\">Google similarly advocates<\/a> for some Section 230 reform. It remains to be seen how much influence the tech giants will be able to exert on the reform process. It also remains to be seen what if any reform can emerge from a sharply divided Congress.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/164993\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/164993\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/abbey-stemler-734541\">Abbey Stemler<\/a>, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics; Faculty Associate Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/indiana-university-1368\">Indiana University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/what-is-section-230-an-expert-on-internet-law-and-regulation-explains-the-legislation-that-paved-the-way-for-facebook-google-and-twitter-164993\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/section-230-social-platforms-thrive-exist-change-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How Section 230 allows social networks to thrive \u2014 and what&#8217;s next&#8221; Almost any article you read about Section 230 reminds you that it contains the most important 26 words in tech and that it is the law that made the modern internet. This is all true, but Section 230 is also the most significant&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":314243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/Facebook-lawsuit-legal-case-judge-gavel-hedshutterstock_1872019966.jpg&signature=d9c079d7ba5103b4615898d9b8bca4d3","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-314242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}