(1) Overview

Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act is regarded as “the most important law in tech” because it encourages investment and innovation on the Internet by providing legal certainty to services that they will not be held liable for the speech or actions of third parties.  Section 230 makes possible the Internet as we know it today: social media, blogs, image sharing, forums and comment sections — any service that enables users to submit content.  Literally every online platform that allows users to post information, share content, and comment relies on Section 230.

(2) Proposals to amend Section 230 (last updated 1/19/2021)

117th Congress

House:

1. H.R. 285: Curbing Abuse and Saving Expression In Technology Act, reintroduced 1/12/21 by Rep. Steube & 3 cosponsors. (116th Congress: H.R. 8719.)
2. H.R. 277: Limiting Section 230 Immunity to Good Samaritans Act, reintroduced 1/12/21 by Rep. Budd & 2 cosponsors. (116th Congress: H.R. 8596.)
3. H.R. 83: Protecting Constitutional Rights from Online Platform Censorship Act, introduced 1/4/21 by Rep. DesJarlais.

116th Congress

Senate:

1. S. 5085: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the additional 2020 recovery rebates, to repeal section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, and for other purposes, introduced 12/29/20 by Sen. McConnell.
2. S. 5020: A bill to repeal section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, introduced 12/15/20 by Sen. Graham.
3. S. 5012: Holding Sexual Predators and Online Enablers Accountable Act, introduced 12/11/20 by Sen. Loeffler & Sen. Cotton.
4. S. 4828: Stop Suppressing Speech Act, introduced 10/21/20 by Sen. Loeffler. (Further analysis by Szabo.)
5. S. 4758: See Something, Say Something Online Act, introduced 9/29/20 by Sen. Manchin & Sen. Cornyn. (Further analysis by Masnick.)
6. S. 4756: Don’t Push My Buttons Act, introduced 9/29/20 by Sen. Kennedy. (Companion: H.R. 8515.) (Further analysis by Masnick.)
7. S. 4632: Online Content Policy Modernization Act, introduced 9/21/20 by Sen. Graham. (Further analysis by Keller, Goldman, Masnick.)
8. S. 4534: Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act, introduced 9/8/20 by Sen. Wicker, Sen. Graham, & Sen. Blackburn. (Further analysis by Goldman, Masnick.)
9. S. 4337: Behavioral Advertising Decisions Are Downgrading Services Act, introduced 7/8/20 by Sen. Hawley. (Further analysis by Masnick.)
10. S. 4066: Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act, introduced 6/24/20 by Sen. Schatz & Sen. Thune. (Further analysis by Goldman, Masnick, Keller.)
11. S. 4062: Stopping Big Tech’s Censorship Act, introduced 6/24/20 by Sen. Loeffler. (Further analysis by Masnick.)
12. S. 3983: Limiting Section 230 Immunity to Good Samaritans Act, introduced 6/17/20 by Sen. Hawley & 4 cosponsors. (Companion: H.R. 8596.) (Further analysis by Masnick.)
13. S. 3398: Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act, introduced 3/5/20 by Sen. Graham, Sen. Blumenthal, & 8 cosponsors. (Companion: H.R. 8454.) (Further analysis by Lamont, Goldman, Pfefferkorn, Llansó.)
14. S. 1914: Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act, introduced 6/19/19 by Sen. Hawley. (Further analysis by Goldman, Masnick.)

House:

1. H.R. 8922: Break Up Big Tech Act of 2020, introduced 12/9/20 by Rep. Gabbard & Rep. Gosar. (Further analysis by Masnick.)
2. H.R. 8896: Abandoning Online Censorship Act, introduced 12/8/20 by Rep. Gohmert & 6 cosponsors.
3. H.R. 8719: Curbing Abuse and Saving Expression In Technology Act, introduced 10/30/20 by Rep. Steube. (Further analysis by Szabo.)
4. H.R. 8636: Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act, introduced 10/20/20  by Rep. Malinowski & Rep. Eshoo. (Further analysis by Keller, Duffield.)
5. H.R. 8596: Limiting Section 230 Immunity to Good Samaritans Act, introduced 10/16/20 by Rep. Budd & 6 cosponsors. (Companion: S. 3983.) (Further analysis by Masnick.)
6. H.R. 8517: Protect Speech Act, introduced 10/2/20 by Rep. Jordan & 11 cosponsors. (Further analysis by Masnick.)
7. H.R. 8515: Don’t Push My Buttons Act, introduced 10/2/20 by Rep. Gosar & Rep. Gabbard. (Companion: S. 4756.) (Further analysis by Masnick.)
8. H.R. 8454: Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act, introduced 9/30/20 by Rep. Garcia & Rep. Wagner. (Companion: S. 3398.) (Further analysis by Lamont, Pfefferkorn, Masnick.)
9. H.R. 7808: Stop the Censorship Act of 2020, introduced 7/29/20 by Rep. Gosar & 11 cosponsors. (Further analysis by Goldman.)
10. H.R. 4232: Protecting Local Authority and Neighborhoods Act, introduced 9/9/19 by Rep. Case & Rep. King. (Further analysis by Goldman, Masnick.)
11. H.R. 4027: Stop the Censorship Act, introduced 7/26/19 by Rep. Gosar & 3 cosponsors. (Further analysis by Goldman.)
12. H.R. 492: Biased Algorithm Deterrence Act of 2019, introduced 1/11/19 by Rep. Gohmert. (Further analysis by Brown.)

Trump Administration:

1. Draft legislation, released 9/23/20 by the Department of Justice. (Further analysis by Masnick, Keller.)
2. Draft regulations, submitted 7/27/20 by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (Further analysis by Goldman, Masnick.)

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(3) Articles

1. Jess Miers — Medium: Section 230 Key Developments Talk: 2020 Cloud Conference 11/18/2020
2. Jennifer Huddleston — The Federalist Society Blog: The FCC Should Not Engage in Section 230 Rulemaking 10/6/2020
3. Daphne Keller — Slate: Trump-Backed Rules for Online Speech: No to Porn, Yes to Election Disinformation and Hate Speech 10/1/2020
4. Keir Lamont — Disruptive Competition Project: New Look ‘EARN IT’ Act Poses Same Threats to Online Safety 10/1/2020
5. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: Busting Still More Myths About Section 230, For You And The FCC 9/23/2020
6. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: The First Hard Case: Zeran V. AOL And What It Can Teach Us About Today’s Hard Cases 9/11/2020
7. Cathy Gellis — Disruptive Competition Project: What the Bostock Decision Teaches About Section 230 8/31/2020
8. Chris Cox — Richmond Journal of Law and Technology: The Origins and Original Intent of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act 8/27/2020
9. Eric Goldman — Technology and Marketing Law Blog: Comments on the Internet Association’s Empirical Study of Section 230 Cases 8/03/2020
10. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: What Is Section 230’s “Otherwise Objectionable” Provision? 7/29/2020
11. Daphne Keller — Stanford Center for Internet and Society: CDA 230 Reform Grows Up: The PACT Act Has Problems, But It’s Talking About the Right Things 7/16/2020
12. Riana Pfefferkorn — Stanford Center for Internet and Society: The EARN IT Act Threatens Our Online Freedoms. Net Amendments Don’t Fix It 7/6/2020
13. Jess Miers — Medium: Recapping Recent Section 230 Proposals 6/30/2020
14. Chris Cox — RealClearPolitics: Policing the Internet: A Bad Idea in 1996 — and Today 6/25/2020
15. Ron Wyden — CNN: I wrote this law to protect free speech. Now Trump wants to revoke it 6/9/2020
16. Charles C. W. Cooke — National Review: Why We Need Section 230 6/4/2020
17. Charles Duan, Jeffrey Westling — Lawfare Blog: Will Trump’s Executive Order Harm Online Speech? It Already Did 6/1/2020
18. Elizabeth Nolan Brown — Reason: Trump’s Executive Order on Twitter Is a Total Mess 5/28/2020
19. Sonam Sheth, Ashley Gold — Business Insider: Legal and tech policy experts say Trump’s draft executive order cracking down on social-media companies is dead on arrival 5/28/2020
20. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: When The Problem Isn’t Twitter But President Trump 5/27/2020
21. Eric Goldman — Technology and Marketing Law Blog: 46 Academics Encourage Congress To Consider Section 230’s Benefits 3/9/2020
22. Eric Goldman — Technology and Marketing Law Blog: The PLAN Act Proposes to Amend Section 230 to “Protect”…Landlords and Hotel Chains? 10/16/2019
23. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: Myths and Facts about Section 230 10/16/2019
24. Eric Goldman — Technology and Marketing Law Blog: Top Myths About Content Moderation 10/15/2019
25. Rob Winterton — Medium: Section 230 Should be in Our Trade Agreements. Here’s Why. 10/15/2019
26. Kate Ruane, Jennifer Stisa Granick — ACLU: Our Online Speech Rights Are Under Threat 10/15/2019
27. Ethan Wham — Disruptive Competition Project: An Economic Case for Section 230 9/6/2019
28. Jonathan Band — Disruptive Competition Project: Section 230 and the Future of the Open Internet 9/5/2019
29. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: Debate Over Online Content Embodies “Moderator’s Dilemma” 9/4/2019
30. Ali Sternburg — Disruptive Competition Project: Why Do So Many Section 230 Stories Contain Corrections? 9/3/2019
31. Carl Szabo — Morning Consult: Section 230 Is the Internet Law That Stops the Spread of Extremist and Hate Speech 8/27/2019
32. Sarah Jeong — New York Times: Politicians Want to Change the Internet’s Most Important Law. They Should Read It First. 7/26/19
33. Charles Duan — Washington Examiner: Trump wants an unbiased social media platform; he should have the government make one 7/16/2019
34. Daisy Soderberg-Rivkin — Washington Times: Holding the technology industry hostage 7/1/2019
35. Jonathan Band — Disruptive Competition Project: Trademark Decision Casts First Amendment Doubt on Hawley Bill 6/25/2019
36. Jeffrey Westling — R Street Institute: Hawley’s Attack on Section 230 Hurts Conservatives 6/24/2019
37. Bill Easley II — The Resurgent: When ‘Fairness’ Becomes Censorship 5/24/2019
38. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: Explainer: How Letting Platforms Decide What Content To Facilitate Is What Makes Section 230 Work 5/21/2019
39. Ashkhen Kazaryan — Washington Examiner: Some conservatives need a First Amendment refresher 5/21/2019
40. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: Section 230 Criticism Explained 3/14/2019
41. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: How Regulating Platforms’ Content Moderation Means Regulating Speech – Even Yours. 9/18/2018
42. Cathy Gellis — Techdirt: Section 230 Isn’t About Facebook, It’s About You 2/26/2018
43. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: House Hearing on Section 230: What’s the Problem with a Knowledge Standard? 10/4/2017
44. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: SESTA Hearing: Searching for Common Ground, Fixes to Unintended Consequences 9/19/2017
45. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: Content Providers vs. Content Hosts: Prosecuting Bad Actors Without the Backpage Bill 8/4/2017
46. Matt Schruers — Disruptive Competition Project: Why State Regulation of Online Services Threatens the Internet Economy 8/3/2017

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(4) Letters and Testimony

• Joint Association Letter on Industry Concerns with H.R. 8454 10/1/2020
• CCIA and NetChoice Statement for the Record on Subcommittee Hearing on Mainstreaming Extremism: Social Media’s Role in Radicalizing America 9/23/2020
• Joint Association letter on Industry Concerns with S. 3398 9/18/2020
• Comments to FCC of Co-Authors of Section 230, Chris Cox and Ron Wyden, on NTIA Petition 9/17/2020
• NetChoice Testimony of Rep. Chris Cox for Hearing Before US Senate Commerce — The PACT Act and Section 230 7/28/2020
• Joint Association letter for the July 28 Subcommittee Hearing — The PACT Act and Section 230 7/27/2020
• Joint Association letter requesting a delay of markup of S. 3398  7/1/2020
• CCIA and NetChoice joint association statement for the hearing “A Country in Crisis: How Disinformation Online is Dividing the Nation” 6/23/2020
• Tech Association Letter Detailing Concerns with Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2020 3/5/2020
• Tech Association Section 230 Letter 10/15/2019
• TechFreedom Section 230 Memo to the House Energy and Commerce Committee 10/15/2019
• TechFreedom Bipartisan Letter of Support for Section 230 7/11/2019
• Testimony of Berin Szoka — Filtering Practices of Social Media Platforms: Hearing Before the House Committee on the Judiciary 4/26/2018

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(5) Other Resources

• Section 230 Key Developments 2020 by Prof. Eric Goldman and Jess Miers
• Engine Primer: Value of Section 230
• Folder of Section 230 Bill Text and Redlines Maintained by Jess Miers
• Public Knowledge panel Free Expression Forum: How Section 230 Uplifts Marginalized Voices
• Internet Association Report: A Review Of Section 230’s Meaning & Application Based On More Than 500 Cases
• CCIA Section 230 Video
• NetChoice’s Protect Online Voices Site
• Internet Association Survey: Best of The Internet
• Copia/NetChoice Study: Don’t Shoot The Message Board
• Vergecast interview with Nilay Patel and Berin Szoka: What’s wrong with Congress’ tech policy conversation?
• An Overview of the United States’ Section 230 Internet Immunity by Prof. Eric Goldman
• Why Section 230 Is Better Than the First Amendment by Prof. Eric Goldman
• The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet by Prof. Jeff Koseff
• Principles for Lawmakers Considering Changes to 230
• TechPolicy Podcast: SESTA/FOSTA Hurts the Victims It Aims to Protect

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