Trump Is Targeting Twitter and Internet Giants for the Wrong Reasons – But It’s the Right Thing to Do (Newsweek)

Ann Olivarius op-ed, Newsweek – 6/3/20 AT 9:18 AM EDT

Extract:

Because of Section 230, those behemoths (Pornhub, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube) have no legal responsibility for what their users post. They are considered platforms, not publishers. Consider an analogy that made sense 20 years ago: If the New York Times prints a libelous story about you, you can sue the newspaper. But if someone slanders you over the phone, you can’t sue AT&T. 

That analogy is no longer useful. By making social media companies responsibility-free zones, Section 230 certainly allowed them to grow and profit—but in a way that has made them dangerous to many “little guys” (and gals). I see this in my law practice every day.