House Energy and Commerce committee going to vote on KOSA and gutting Section 230 tomorrow MORNING! CALL YOUR Senators now!
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has protected free speech online for decades, but now there is a bipartisan effort in Congress to force Section 230 to expire on January 1, 2027. Without this clause, platforms can be held legally responsible for user-generated content. At risk are forums like Discord and Reddit, the user comments sections on news websites and blogs, product reviews on business pages, and social media platforms.
If Section 230 is repealed or reformed, every online platform will pre-emptively take down any content, no matter how harmless it is to avoid being sued. Congress must take responsibility for protecting free speech online and hold back its attack on the existing legislation that is foundational to the free internet.
Congress has again put forward legislation aimed at controlling what content children see online, known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)
KOSA requires online platforms to take steps to mitigate harm to children, but while lawmakers claim it would prevent kids from seeing inappropriate content online, KOSA would instead be weaponized by both the government and tech companies to police legal speech online.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are working on a bill to repeal Section 230. And the House E and C commitee are doing a markup tomorrow morning on various age verification bills include s20 and kosa. Call your Representatives and tell them that any legislation that repeal this internet protection is unacceptable.
Ro Khanna (D)
(202) 225-2631
Thomas Massie(R)
(202) 225-3465
Frank Pallone(D)
(202) 225-4671
Doris Matsui(D)
(202) 225-7163
Amy Klobuchar (D)
202-224-3244
Your Rep and Senator: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Tools:
Dem:
Hello, my name is __, I live in __. (Be honest where you are from. If it is not your representative then acknowledge it but state that this is an issue of national importance.)
I’m calling to ask you to OPPOSE a repeal or reform of Section 230 under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, AND to oppose the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA.
KOSA must not pass as it allows massive tech companies to gather incredibly sensitive information on nearly every citizen in the United States.
On top of this, repealing or changing Section 230 would take away a critical shield for free speech online in the face of escalating crackdowns on our rights. Section 230 provides the legal framework necessary to prevent tech platforms from being sued for most content on their platforms WITHOUT letting them off the hook for knowingly hosting outright illegal content. With a repeal or reform of Section 230, platforms would be forced to have extreme moderation standards to be able to still function. This would kill the internet as we know it.
Lawmakers who target Section 230 are risking everyone’s right to free speech online, our rights to criticize ICE and the Trump administration, and the tools we need to protect our democracy.
Hello, my name is __, I live in __. (Be honest where you are from. If it is not your representative then acknowledge it but state that this is an issue of national importance.)
I’m calling to ask you to OPPOSE a repeal or reform of Section 230 under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, AND to oppose the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA.
KOSA must not pass as it allows massive tech companies to gather incredibly sensitive information on nearly every citizen in the United States.
On top of this, repealing or changing Section 230 would take away a critical shield for free speech online in the face of escalating crackdowns on our rights. Section 230 provides the legal framework necessary to prevent tech platforms from being sued for most content on their platforms WITHOUT letting them off the hook for knowingly hosting outright illegal content. With a repeal or reform of Section 230, platforms would be forced to have extreme moderation standards to be able to still function. This would kill the internet as we know it.
Lawmakers who target Section 230 are risking everyone’s right to free speech online, our rights to criticize the government and the tools we need to protect our nation.