Silicon Valley used to unify the left and right in admiration. Now, Big Tech still brings the two sides of the political spectrum together — but in outrage. This much was evident in this year’s State of the Union address: The White House sees potential for bipartisan cooperation against technology companies.
On Tuesday, President Biden mentioned two policy areas in which he’s seeking reform, and in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this year he mentioned three: Section 230, antitrust and privacy. This sounds like jargon, more of interest to D.C. lawyers than average internet users. In fact, each area of reform could have profound effects on how people use the web. They all deserve attention, but the first item, Section 230, is the most fraught and the least ripe for reform — and the last, privacy, is just the opposite.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has become a bogeyman for liberals and conservatives alike. The trouble is, what each side sees as best in the law the other sees as the worst. The provision, which shields platforms (such as Facebook) from civil liability for most material posted by third parties (Facebook users) on their sites, angers progressives because it allows sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to get off scot-free even when they teem with illegal content. It infuriates right-wingers because it encourages those same sites to prohibit hate, harassment and sometimes simple falsehoods, by promising that, if they do, the law won’t...
Augustine M. Ripa joined Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC as a partner in its False Claims Act practice in Boston, the firm announced Wednesday. Ripa’s practice focuses on health care False Cla...