Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, stated on Thursday that big tech companies should no longer have broad legal protection for content posted on their websites under Section 230.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides wide-ranging legal protection for social media platforms regarding the material posted by users. Nevertheless, Clinton believes that these extensive protections are no longer logical.
She mentioned, “They were given this immunity for a good reason in the late ‘90s, when we had no idea what would happen.” She added, “No one knew much because we didn’t truly understand what was happening.”
“Now we do, and it's regrettable that we're still debating about it,” she continued. “Section 230 needs to be removed. We require a different system for the operation of tech companies, mainly referring to social media platforms.”
Instead, Clinton proposed that the U.S. should develop the appropriate liability framework for tech companies.
Lawmakers from both political parties have previously shown interest in scaling back the protections provided by Section 230.
Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) collaborated last May to move a bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would subject tech companies to legal responsibility for child pornography posted on their platforms.
However, the Strengthening Transparency and Obligation to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act has been stuck in limbo for several months.
Hawley tried to bring the legislation to the Senate floor in early February by requesting unanimous consent to consider and approve the measure, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) blocked the effort, arguing that it might weaken the encryption protections of popular websites and apps.
