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Nowhere does the article tell you what Section 230 is. There is a link in the text "We’ve discussed this bill before". That takes you to another article, which

Nowhere does the article tell you what Section 230 is. There is a link in the text "We’ve discussed this bill before". That takes you to another article, which also does not tell you what Section 230 is! Would it kill you to provide a little context?!?

kmeisthax 3y ago
Section 230 is the bill that makes it so you can't sue Internet services for defamation that their users do. The reason why it exists is because the Wolf of Wall Street tried to censor people pointing out that he was selling garbage. He sued Compuserve and Prodigy[0] for hosting the forums that people were posting the speech he didn't like on. Now, under existing case law, you can't sue a newsstand for having defamatory news on it, you have to sue the newspaper. The courts decided that Compuserve was not liable for defamation, but Prodigy was, purely on the basis that Prodigy had moderation while Compuserve did not. Compuserve is a newsstand, Prodigy is a newspaper. This is stupid, so Section 230 overturns this specific case by saying that moderation does not make you liable for defamation. [0] Neither of these services are technically "Internet" in the sense of forwarding IP packets, but they are morally "Internet" because they are public forums.
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  > Section 230 is the bill that makes it so you can't sue Internet services Section 230 refers to “The Internet and other interactive computer services” in its findings and policy sections, and it applies its operatige provisions to “interactive computer services” broadly, not internet services narrowly. > Neither of these services are technically "Internet" in the sense of forwarding IP packets But they are interactice computer services.
seanhunter 3y ago
It’s section 230 of the communications decency act and covers certain safe harbour provisions about when a telecommunications provider is (and crucially isn’t) responsible for material they are transmitting. So it has lots of ramifications for any site that hosts user-generated content as well as for things like net neutrality etc. Here’s the text of section 230 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 Here’s a discussion of what it is and why it matters https://itif.org/publications/2021/02/22/overview-section-230-what-it-why-it-was-created-and-what-it-has-achieved/ https://itif.org/publications/2021/02/22/overview-section-23...
chankstein38 3y ago
Right? I read 3-4 paragraphs then skimmed looking for some explanation of what this would actually mean and found nothing. The author just rages on about how you MUST understand it's bad. Horrible article

kmeisthax 3y ago

Section 230 is the bill that makes it so you can't sue Internet services for defamation that their users do. The reason why it exists is because the Wolf of Wall Street tried to censor people pointing out that he was selling garbage. He sued Compuserve and Prodigy[0] for hosting the forums that people were posting the speech he didn't like on. Now, under existing case law, you can't sue a newsstand for having defamatory news on it, you have to sue the newspaper. The courts decided that Compuserve was not liable for defamation, but Prodigy was, purely on the basis that Prodigy had moderation while Compuserve did not. Compuserve is a newsstand, Prodigy is a newspaper. This is stupid, so Section 230 overturns this specific case by saying that moderation does not make you liable for defamation. [0] Neither of these services are technically "Internet" in the sense of forwarding IP packets, but they are morally "Internet" because they are public forums.

dragonwriter 3y ago
> Section 230 is the bill that makes it so you can't sue Internet services Section 230 refers to “The Internet and other interactive computer services” in its findings and policy sections, and it applies its operatige provisions to “interactive computer services” broadly, not internet services narrowly. > Neither of these services are technically "Internet" in the sense of forwarding IP packets But they are interactice computer services.

seanhunter 3y ago

It’s section 230 of the communications decency act and covers certain safe harbour provisions about when a telecommunications provider is (and crucially isn’t) responsible for material they are transmitting. So it has lots of ramifications for any site that hosts user-generated content as well as for things like net neutrality etc. Here’s the text of section 230 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230 Here’s a discussion of what it is and why it matters https://itif.org/publications/2021/02/22/overview-section-230-what-it-why-it-was-created-and-what-it-has-achieved/ https://itif.org/publications/2021/02/22/overview-section-23...

chankstein38 3y ago

Right? I read 3-4 paragraphs then skimmed looking for some explanation of what this would actually mean and found nothing. The author just rages on about how you MUST understand it's bad. Horrible article