WTF is Section 230?

From Supreme Court litigation to federal legislation, a nearly 30-year-old law is increasingly in the spotlight: Section 230.

Passed by Congress in 1996 as part of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), the law has been a linchpin for protecting online platforms from legal challenges. While the CDA aimed to prevent minors from accessing explicit content, Section 230 created a framework for protecting companies like Google and Facebook from being sued over what people post.

Amid growing concern about user-generated content, Section 230 has found itself increasingly under a microscope. In recent years, U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation to amend Section 230 to curb misinformation and other harmful content, including generative AI. And just last month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments about whether Florida and Texas should be allowed to limit how tech companies moderate user-generated content. 

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