The following statement can be attributed to Chris Mohr, President, Software & Information Industry Association.
For years, lawmakers have debated the future of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and now there is draft legislation authored by Chair McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone, which would sunset section 230 by the end of 2025. This law protects free speech on the Internet and eliminating it would inflict harm on millions of people.
While Section 230 has been blamed for many of the Internet’s perceived ills, there is virtually no agreement about what those problems are. Democrats generally believe that online platforms remove too little material, Republicans tend to believe they remove too much. And what no one seems willing to acknowledge is that Section 230 is about much more than just “Big Tech.” It enables online platforms of all sizes, including sites like Wikipedia and digital news providers, to host and display third-party content, while also making necessary editorial decisions. Sunsetting this shield will remove it for everyone.
Arbitrary deadlines will not produce sensible legislation, and here they create great uncertainty for a substantial part of the economy. Instead, we encourage lawmakers to uphold Section 230 and to consider the risk of significant unintended consequences the proposal would create, particularly for small- and medium-sized companies.
