I know this was being discussed in the USA political thread but there’s multiple discussions in there with Covid/riots. Please delete if not allowed.

What is Section 230?

Section 230 is part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, and its advocates have called it “the most important law protecting internet speech.”

It includes a variety of guidelines for regulation of “interactive computer services,” which, today, includes social-media companies like Twitter and Facebook.

The section, which has been described as “the 26 words that created the internet,” says that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

This essentially allows sites like Twitter and Facebook to avoid being regulated as publishers, protecting them from being held liable for illegal posts (with some exceptions.) Whereas a newspaper would be held liable for the content it produces and publishes, social-media companies are able to distance themselves from the content posted by people onto their platforms.

The section also gives social-media sites the ability to regulate content, such as hate speech, on their platforms.

......
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday in an attempt to rein in social-media companies, following Twitter’s decision to flag two of his tweets with a fact-check label.

The order involves Section 230, a provision in a 1996 law that protects companies on the internet like Twitter and Facebook from being regulated as publishers of third-party content like tweets and Facebook posts.
Section 230 also gives social-media sites the ability to regulate content on their platforms.

Legal experts told Business Insider that parts of Trump’s order are likely illegal and will be difficult if not impossible to enforce.

www.businessinsider.com.au/what-is-section-230-internet-law-communications-decency-act-explained-2020-5

What are your thoughts on this and what effect or lack thereof do you think this will have on social media?

There’s been similar debates trying to define social media akin to “ newspapers “

The newspaper is like a university lecture. The content is researched, reviewed, edited and presented and there’s a credibility to it that ensures it’s fact.

Social Media is like the pub. A lot of random things shouted out, it’s ill informed, bias and half of it is completely off the wall.

The difference is, lecturing a class requires some sort of qualification, a credibility. While shouting out dot points at the pub, requires only the ability to speak while intoxicated.

But because this is the modern western world, while we value the opinions of drunks on social media over the published teaching of professors, doctors and academics, we are doomed to fail.

Use common sense, consider the source. Don’t censor the drunk for his inability to make a rational argument, just ignore him and never give them validation.

Unfortunately, the biggest drunk on social media somehow found himself sitting in the most powerful seat in the world and frankly like a house party out of control, half the guests are sick, somethings on fire and he’s picking fights with his neighbours.

Are they going to ban Fan Fic?

Here is what I do not get. The GOP ruled the internet is not a utility. Therefore there is no need for anything that uses the internet. Furthermore, social media sites are privately owned with terms of agreement. Most of the GOP's complaints are when they post content that goes against the TOS and get deleted. Repealing section 230 fixes neither of these issues. It just allows people to make threats that they will sue for other content if they are not allowed to do what they want. Which is the definition of a vexing lawsuit and malicious prosecution.

So the GOP wants to essentially not follow the site rules, and to ensure they do not have to follow the site's rule they will threaten to make it easier for them to commit criminal acts (extortion) that lead to more criminal acts (vexing lawsuits) against sites that do not do what they want. How does this make any damn sense.

May 29, 2020 23:25:40 GMT KING KID said:

Are they going to ban Fan Fic?

Asking the real questions

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What's King Kong Bundy's net worth?

Great talk on business insider. If Trump did repeal this, every social media site would have to ban him as they would be legally responsible for actions inspired by his post. He suggests taking bleach to fight CV, and even if he was joking, if someone did it, then twitter or facebook could be sued for allowing him to post the suggestion.