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Section 230 and global content moderation: Uncertainty in the time of COVID-19
- Source: Journal of Digital Media & Policy, Volume 12, Issue COVID-19 and Digital Media Policy, Mar 2021, p. 185 - 190
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- 27 Nov 2020
- 08 Dec 2020
- 01 Mar 2021
Abstract
Content moderation was already a highly polarized policy topic before the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent onslaught of misinformation and disinformation on COVID-19 has also led to multiple platform policy responses by private US-based companies and beyond. Discussion of these policies has also contributed to a sense that this level of media attention to a formerly somewhat obscure US law – Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – could lead to a change in that law. This commentary provides a look into this small piece of legislation that has historically had a big impact on western internet governance. This is framed within a more global view of internet governance, and the impact this may have on the internet more broadly.