Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been called the “Magna Carta of the internet,” the foundation of online free expression, and the 26 words that created the internet. But it’s come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying that it’s the root cause of horrific online behavior. Bullying, hate speech, and misinformation? Critics say that’s all because of Section 230.
But Section 230 is also wildly misunderstood, with journalists and politicians routinely misrepresenting what it does and doesn’t do, and using it as a pawn to achieve other political goals.
Here to set the record straight is Berin Szoka, the co-founder of TechFreedom, a DC-based think tank that, in their words, “tries to write simple rules for a complex world.”