Should Congress Amend Section 230?

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes “interactive computer services” such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube from liability for claims based on content created by third-party users. This provision has played an important role in allowing platforms to remove misinformation without fear of liability, and for that reason has come under attack by the Trump Administration. In another context, however, Facebook has argued that Section 230 gives it immunity from civil rights laws, even when the company uses its algorithms to target and deliver housing and employment ads toward White users and away from Black and Latino users.

Join the ACS George Washington Student Chapter as we seek to answer the question: should Congress prevent platforms from making this argument by explicitly carving-out an exemption to 230 for violations of federal and state civil rights laws facilitated by discriminatory ad targeting by platforms?  

Featuring:

Danielle Keats Citron, Boston University Professor of Law, 2019 MacArthur Fellow

Michael Godwin, former GC of Wikimedia Foundation

Daphne Keller, Platform Regulation Director, Stanford Cyber Policy Center

Spencer Overton, GW Professor of Law, Joint Center President

Olivier Sylvain, Fordham Professor of Law, McGannon Center Director

To attend this event register here.