President Trump is expected to escalate his feud with social media companies by signing an executive order Thursday that orders a review of a longstanding law protecting Silicon Valley firms from lawsuits, according to a draft viewed by The Hill.
“In a country that has long cherished the freedom of expression, we cannot allow a limited number of online platforms to hand-pick the speech that Americans may access and convey online,” the draft reads. “When large, powerful social media companies censor opinions with which they disagree, they exercise a dangerous power.”
The order would direct an agency within the Commerce Department to file a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a 1996 law that is considered foundational to the internet’s expansion. The statute provides platforms legal immunity for content posted by third-party users while also giving them legal cover to make good-faith efforts to moderate their platforms. Continue reading.