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Our lame-duck president is having another tantrum over social media that fact-check his lies. His latest rant targets the National Defense Authorization Act, which he says must now include a repeal of #Section230 protections that grant platforms the right to correct the record.
This latest tirade is more of the same from a president who's deeply confused & angry about a rule that protects the constitutional rights of platforms. In Trumpworld they should be servile agents for amplifying his false propaganda about the election result & the COVID response.
Since this attack began @FreePress has put forth a number of explanations about #Section230, hoping to bring clarity to a policy issue that has divided and befuddled far too many:
"Preserving 230 is key to preserving free expression," write @GauravLaroia & @CarmenScurato. " #Sec230 lowers barriers for people to post their ideas online, but also lowers barriers to the content moderation choices that platforms have the right to make." https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200821/08494445157/fighting-hate-speech-online-means-keeping-section-230-not-burying-it-gaurav-laroia-carmen-scurato.shtml
Trump's attack on 230 is born from “corrupt & ignoble impulses,” writes @FreePress. “The president, upset after Twitter fact-checked his statements, promulgated an unconstitutional EO that seeks to use the power of gov't to stifle, censor, and intimidate.” https://freepress.net/sites/default/files/2020-09/free_press_comments_opposing_NTIA_section_230_rulemaking_petition.pdf
The Trump FCC actions against #Section230 "would seriously threaten the ability of marginalized groups to organize & express their views without the government forcing them to allow racist & sexist interlopers into every conversation," says @GauravLaroia. https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/filing-free-press-urges-fcc-reject-trump-administration-attack-against-social
"Senators on both sides of the aisle are wrongly calling for repeal," said @CarmenScurato. "such a drastic step would either punish platforms for their constitutionally protected editorial decisions or else force them to leave up all kinds of hateful, harmful & unwanted content."
"We know that keeping Section 230 — rather than radically altering it in the ways envisioned by Trump and his allies in Congress and at the FCC — is the best way forward," wrote @TimKarr. https://medium.com/swlh/confused-by-section-230-so-is-donald-trump-42233c57cb00
“That may sound counter-intuitive,” says @GauravLaroia, ”but only because of the confused conversation about this law in recent years.”
It's hard to tell whether Trump's latest tantrum is a serious threat to #Section230 — or just seriously weird.
There are still enough of his enablers in high government, including in Congress and at the @FCC, to stay informed and ready to respond. //ends
There are still enough of his enablers in high government, including in Congress and at the @FCC, to stay informed and ready to respond. //ends
