Could fixing Facebook algorithms bridge our political divides?
Could fixing Facebook algorithms bridge our political divides?
Proposed U.S. legislation aims to make Facebook accountable for misinformation by targeting algorithms rather than content By Aeryn Pfaff
A Biden supporter has a conversation with a Trump supporter on the U.S. Capitol grounds on January 6.
We’ve all heard the calls for unity since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. We’re meant to unite with far-right radicals who want to end democracy and QAnon supporters who make real-world decisions based on the belief that liberals are a cabal of Satanist pedophiles. Embrace your uncle who believes every lie spread by Trump and far-right media. Engage social media contacts in debates about whether or not minorities deserve rights – because if we don’t, we run the risk of creating the dreaded
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Members of Congress don’t agree on much these days, but there’s one idea both the right and the left support: Something needs to be done to rein in social media companies.
Democrats’ concerns revolve around harassment and misinformation, while Republicans’ focus is on political speech. Both sides have set their sights on a small but critical piece of federal law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. But such discussions have been clouded by fundamental misunderstandings of what CDA230 is and the role it plays in the legal functioning of the internet today.
This provision shields internet service providers from liability associated with defamatory content posted by users. Twitter and Facebook would be utterly unviable without CDA230. But it also benefits the little sites. An online guest book on a bed-and-breakfast website, for example, would be a legal time bomb for the B&B without CDA230. Here we explore the historic and current implications of the law, a
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On February 5, 2021, three Democratic Senators released the SAFE TECH Act, which aims to require online service providers to address fraud, harassment, and the use of social media to organize extremist violence. If passed, the Act would dramatically change the landscape of online liability.
Background
It is no understatement to say the internet would not be what it is today without Section 230. The statute effectively eliminates most ordinary legal responsibilities assumed by traditional publishers with respect to content provided by users and other third parties.
Section 230 was in part a response to a 1995 trial court decision that found an internet service provider could be liable for the content of its subscribers posts, as the publisher of the content.