Leave a Decent Comment: Section 230 & the Fight for the Future of the Internet

When politicians and big tech clash over political bias, fake news, and content moderation, who wins? And will it be "Game Over" for the Internet as we know it? At the heart of this battle is a once-obscure section of an unpopular law from the 90s that, arguably, brought the Internet out of the wild west and made it what it is today. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been in the news a lot, but what the heck is it? Why do some people argue it gives a voice to the powerless while others say it allows giant corporations to stifle free speech? And how will the outcome of this fight affect YOU? In "Leave a Decent Comment," experts, politicians, and pundits debate the pros and cons of amending Section 230 by looking at how the Internet developed and its many possible futures. There's a war brewing over Section 230 that could dramatically change our online lives. In this short film, former Representative Chris Cox, Senator Ted Cruz, Ashkhen Kazaryan, Rachel Bovard, and Jeff Kosseff explain the history and current issues around Section 230. As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker. * * * * A FedSoc Films / Regulatory Transparency Project collaboration. Learn more about RTP: https://regproject.org * * * * Jeff Kosseff is speaking for himself and not on behalf of the U.S. government. * * * * Chapters: 00:00 Opening 04:17 Level I: The Land Rush 06:22 Level II: Somebody Poisoned the Water Hole 08:49 Level III: New Sheriff in Town 13:30 Level IV: Cowboys Hold on to Their Homestead 20:13 Level V: The End of the Frontier? 23:52 Credits * * * * Learn more about Rep. Chris Cox: https://history.house.gov/People/List... Learn more about Senator Ted Cruz: https://www.cruz.senate.gov/ Follow Senator Cruz @tedcruz:   / tedcruz   Learn more about Ashkhen Kazaryan https://fedsoc.org/contributors/ashkh... Follow Ashkhen @Ashkhen:   / ashkhen   Learn more about Rachel Bovard https://www.conservativepartnership.o... Follow Rachel @rachelbovard:   / rachelbovard   Learn more about Jeff Kosseff https://www.jeffkosseff.com/ Follow Jeff: @jkosseff   / jkosseff   * * * * Related Links & Differing views: The Origins and Original Intent of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act [University of Richmond] https://jolt.richmond.edu/2020/08/27/... The Time Is Now to Rein in Big Tech [Newsweek] https://www.newsweek.com/time-now-rei... It’s Time For Conservatives To Take On Big Tech Tyrants. Here’s How [The Federalist] https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/04/... Infographic: Why CDA 230 Is So Important [Electronic Frontier Foundation] https://www.eff.org/issues/cda230/inf... Everything You Need to Know About Section 230 [The Verge] https://www.theverge.com/21273768/sec... Why We Need Section 230 [National Review] https://www.nationalreview.com/magazi... #FedSocFilms