Article 230: White House Reviews Law Protecting Social Media Companies Amid Crackdown on Disinformation



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The debate over Article 230 has taken on new urgency in recent days as the administration called on social media platforms to take a more aggressive stance in the fight against disinformation. Federal law, which is part of the Communications Decency Act, grants legal immunity to websites that moderate user-generated content.

“We’re looking into this, and they should definitely be held accountable,” Bedingfield told MSNBC when asked about Section 230 and whether social media companies like Facebook should be accountable and open to prosecution. for publishing false information that harms Americans.

President Joe Biden, Bedingfield said, also believes it is “the responsibility of the people who create the content.”

“It’s a big and complicated ecosystem, and everyone has a responsibility to make sure we don’t give people the wrong information about a vaccine that will save their lives,” she said.

Biden and then President Donald Trump both argued for Section 230 to be revoked, but for different reasons.

Biden recoils from claim that Facebook is 'killing people' by allowing disinformation about Covid

Biden has long denounced the law for its protection of social media companies from disinformation, while Trump has claimed it leads to censorship and the suppression of conservative voices. Supporters of the provision, meanwhile, argue that the law protects freedom of expression. Trump’s attempts to use executive power to change the way Section 230 is applied to tech companies have been called unconstitutional by legal experts, lawmakers and Federal Communications Commission officials.

The Biden administration now faces many of the same legal questions. But only Congress can amend the law itself, and while US lawmakers can be united in their hostility to Big Tech, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill remain divided over how Section 230 should be implemented. day.

Biden kept the pressure on Facebook on Monday, saying he was not happy with what the platform is doing to stop the spread of disinformation, but dropping his accusation last week that she was directly responsible for “kill people”. And senior officials are in touch with Facebook behind the scenes as tensions with the platform have escalated.

“Facebook doesn’t kill people – those 12 people are there to give out misinformation. Anyone who listens to it suffers. It kills people. This is bad news,” Biden said, appearing to quote data from the Center for Countering. non-profit. Digital Hatred (CCDH). A report released by the organization in March said a dozen people were super-diffusers of anti-vaccine misinformation.

The president continued, “I hope that Facebook, instead of taking it personally, that somehow I say Facebook is killing people, that they would do something about disinformation, disinformation. scandalous about the vaccine. That’s what I meant. “

Brian Fung of CNN contributed to this report.

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