You’ve probably heard a lot about Section 230… it’s one of the pieces of regulation that President Trump has opposed over and over again.
Despite that, no one’s really taking the time to explain what the regulation is – or what it means for you.
Here’s the facts about Section 230 – and why President Trump is against it.
Section 230 is all about protecting social media sites and other online publications from prosecution… it makes them immune to prosecution for anything that gets posted on there – no matter what it is.
From extremist writing to obscene content, Section 230 means that the sites are considered distributors, instead of publishers… which means that the platforms can’t be held accountable for anything that gets posted.
At the same time, the sites are profiting from what’s posted on their platforms – and already deciding what can’t be shown…
Going above and beyond the law with selective moderation, inexplicable algorithms and outright censorship.
All that said, there’s still a strong argument for keeping Section 230 (or something like it) around… the First Amendment.
You already know how many of our Constitutional freedoms have both a positive and negative side… and how obvious that is for the First Amendment… Free speech means taking the bad with the good, all in favor of freedom.
If social media sites were just allowing everyone to post anything they wanted, that would be one thing… but as you know, they’re applying their own agenda to what can be posted, banning whenever they feel like it.
By bringing up Section 230, Trump is turning it back on sites like Twitter and Facebook… showing them that they’re not keeping within the lines set out in the regulation.
In other words, when President Trump talks about Section 230, he doesn’t necessarily mean it should be removed… he’s pointing out the hypocrisy of Big Tech, and taking a stand against them in the most direct way possible.
Over time, expect Trump’s criticism of Section 230 to gain more and more ground – and for social media sites to finally be held accountable for the material they’re hosting….
