Section 230 In Simple Terms
104 104 which directed amendment of title ii of the communications act of 1934 47 u s c.
Section 230 in simple terms. Section 230 granted these sites the power to moderate on their own terms but the executive order would subject them to guidelines developed by the federal communications commission. Section 230 received virtually no opposition or media coverage as it was folded into the more controversial communications decency act which was added to the telecommunications act of 1996 a. The seemingly simple language of section 230 belies the sweeping impact it s had on the tech industry. 5 a notice under sub section 3 along with all the documents in such form as may be prescribed shall also be sent to the central government the income tax authorities the reserve bank of india the securities and exchange board the registrar the respective stock exchanges the official liquidator the competition commission of india established under sub section 1 of section 7 of the.
The internet has changed dramatically in the 25 years since section 230 s enactment in ways that no one including the drafters of section 230 could have predicted. Under section 230 interactive computer services are considered legally separate from. Section 509 of pub. Today the united states senate took testimony from the leaders of google twitter and facebook during a hearing regarding section 230 of the communication d.
Section 230 generally provides immunity for website publishers from third party content. As currently written cda 230 grants an expansive liability shield to any provider of an interactive computer service for the actions that occur on their platform regardless of whether the platform turns a blind eye to illegal activity. Several online platforms have transformed into some of the nation s largest and most valuable companies and today s online services bear little resemblance to the rudimentary offerings in 1996. 104 104 designating 201 to 229 as part i and.
In a section titled good faith the doj draft legislation says that a service provider would benefit from section 230 protections only if its terms of. 201 et seq by adding section 230 at end was executed by adding the section at end of part i of title ii of the act to reflect the probable intent of congress and amendments by sections 101 a b and 151 a of pub.