When Congress passed the Communications Decency Act on Feb. 1, 1996, the internet was still a patchwork of message boards, chat rooms and early online services that few lawmakers fully understood. Buried within the sweeping statute was a short provision—47 U.S.C. § 230—that would go on to become one of the most consequential laws of the digital age. To mark the law’s 30th anniversary, we have curated a selection of our reporting on Section 230. Next week, we’ll publish new coverage examining what lies ahead for the statute and the legal battles surrounding it.
Labor/Employment
San Francisco court clerks threaten strike for more staff, better training
By James Twomey
San Francisco Superior Court clerks are threatening to strike over short staffing and inadequate training, alleging delays hav...
Technology
The law that built the internet and continues to test the courts
By David Houston
Saturday marks 30 years since President Clinton signed the Communications Decency Act, creating Section 230's immunity shield ...
Enacted 30 years ago through careful legislative deliberation, Section 230 remains the internet's strongest bulwark for free e...
Torts/Personal Injury, Constitutional Law
For 30 years, Section 230 insulated platforms from liability, but generative AI is forcing courts to ask a new question: When ...
Section 230 remains a decisive litigation gatekeeper, but as platforms algorithmically shape and generate content, courts are ...
During the three decades since its enactment, the limits of Section 230 have been put the test.
Technology, Constitutional Law
Grok has become a hub for AI-generated sexual exploitation, prompting California officials to investigate its failure to preve...
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers pressed both tech companies and plaintiffs at a summary judgment hearing, signaling...
While Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl's decisions do not determine liability, they ensure that the social media companies...
Sen. Ted Cruz plans bipartisan legislation to curb government "jawboning" -- pressure on media or platforms to silence speech ...
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Utah Governor Cox and other lawmakers are spotlighting social media's harmful alg...
Torts/Personal Injury, Technology
Devastated parents and bipartisan leaders are calling for urgent reform of Section 230, as Big Tech continues to hide behind t...
Most experts agree that a light regulatory touch in internet businesses that was envisioned by the Clinton administration and ...
Technology, Consumer Protection Law
Meta can't dismiss liability for kids' social media use
By Sunidhi Sridhar
The judge noted that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act significantly limited the claims and insulated the design a...
Regulation of Big Tech is urgently needed due to the harmful impact of social media on mental health, particularly among minor...
Technology, Government
California lawmakers recently voted to proceed with an updated version of SB 287, a bill that examines how social media compan...
Technology, Civil Litigation
Will product defect lawsuits tame giants of social media?
By Jonathan Lo
"Carnage is being inflicted on our kids and our young people. There's been a 146% increase in suicide among young people. At t...
Technology
Claim seeks to hold companies liable for teens social media use
By Wisdom Howell
Laura Marquez-Garrett, attorney for Seattle-based Social Media Victims Law Center and counsel for the plaintiffs, used the com...