A new bill wants social media companies to lose their immunity under Section 230 if they’re found entertaining fake public health news. Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ray Lujan introduced the bill on Thursday.
The so-called Health Misinformation Act is also asking the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to define what constitutes health misinformation.
“Misinformation and disinformation about [Covid-19], and about treatments and preventive measures with respect to the disease including vaccines have proliferated on the internet and through the use of social media,” the bill says. The senators believe their proposal can help address the issue.
If you’re not familiar with Section 230, here’s an overview.
What is Section 230?
Section 230 is a provision under the Communications Decency Act. It is a law that makes social media networks, online forums, chatrooms, and the like not liable for posts sent by users.
Section 230 simply states that: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”
In fact, this law is the only reason why Facebook, Twitter, and other networks are able to function properly. Because they couldn’t be half as effective if they had to worry about every single user post.
Internet Free Speech
This is not the first time senators have taken aim at Section 230. In February, Senators Joe Manchin and John Cornyn introduced a bill known as the See-something-say-something Act. The bill wanted internet platforms to monitor users for signs of terror and drug trafficking activity.
But the proposal didn’t go down well with free speech activists. They accused the government of wanting more control of the internet. We’re still waiting to see how far that bill goes.
In conclusion, Covid-19 misinformation is a real problem. But the collateral damage for social media companies in repealing Section 230 makes you wonder if it’s really the solution. Again, time will tell.
