Why the internet still needs Section 230
Ron Wyden has represented Oregon in the US Senate since 1996 and is the co-author of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Across U.S. politics, it’s become fashionable to blame nearly all the internet’s ills on one law I co-wrote: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Everyone from President Donald Trump to some of my Democratic colleagues argue that Section 230 has let major tech platforms moderate too much or too little. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, has already written about his plans to reinterpret the law himself.
Many of these claims give Section 230 too much credit. While it’s a cornerstone of internet speech, it’s a lesser support compared to the First Amendment, as well as Americans’ own choices in what they want to see online. But I’m convinced the law is just as necessary today as when I co-wrote it with Rep. Chris Cox in 1996.
Trump attacked Section 230 in his first stint as president. In his second, his administration is already using its power to pressure TV stations, newspapers, and social media companies to bow to his will. Major tech platforms with deep-pocketed legal teams seem happy to accommodate Trump a …