Section 230 lets providers like social media companies publish user-generated content without having to review the content first. For example, if you libel someone on Twitter, that is your problem, not Twitter's problem. If you take away Section 230 protections, social media as we know it probably dies. Instead of a real-time pulse on what people are thinking, you'll just get what looks like the letters to the editor section of a newspaper. People who are already celebrities will not be censored, but you will be because you're too small to be worth the risk of being liable for. That means any grassroots political movement, no matter what side of the ideology spectrum it falls on, has no place to start. Be careful what you wish for.
I'll also point out that if Section 230 protections are removed, Donald Trump loses more than anyone. Nobody is going to carry his messages if they can be sued for their content. He'll have to make his own Twitter. His press conferences won't be broadcast live because the liability is too high. It is hilarious to me that Donald Trump is probably the largest beneficiary of Section 230 and he's the one that wants to remove it.
Section 230 is what lets the little guy exercise his or her right to free expression. It gives them a platform where they have an opportunity to let their opinion rise to the top. It saves them from having to buy their own printing press and build their own audience. Nobody is going to buy you a printing press if they're liable for everything you say. So what happens is you don't get to talk anymore.
I'll also point out that if Section 230 protections are removed, Donald Trump loses more than anyone. Nobody is going to carry his messages if they can be sued for their content. He'll have to make his own Twitter. His press conferences won't be broadcast live because the liability is too high. It is hilarious to me that Donald Trump is probably the largest beneficiary of Section 230 and he's the one that wants to remove it.
Section 230 is what lets the little guy exercise his or her right to free expression. It gives them a platform where they have an opportunity to let their opinion rise to the top. It saves them from having to buy their own printing press and build their own audience. Nobody is going to buy you a printing press if they're liable for everything you say. So what happens is you don't get to talk anymore.