Congress, I’m Begging You: Don’t Screw Up Section 230 (YNOT)

Read the full article by Ben Suroeste sat YNOT.com 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – I don’t think it’s a stretch to say there’s very little bipartisan agreement in Washington on anything these days – which only makes it more horrifying to read a headline like “Why Republicans (and even a couple of Democrats) want to throw out tech’s favorite law.”

As I’m sure you just did, I knew before clicking over to NBC’s story that the law they’re talking about is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Hell, I knew this even though (a) I’m not that bright to begin with, (b) I’ve used a lot of drugs in my life this weekend and (f) I’m not 100% certain I can even list things in alphabetical order anymore.

One of the problems with Congress is, despite being more crowded with lawyers than the average K Street bar, a lot of these motherfuckers either have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to things like Section 230, or – arguably worse – they’re knowingly full of shit and just don’t care that they’re spreading misinformation.

Take Senator Josh Hawley, for example. Here’s his take on what’s wrong with Section 230: “With Section 230, tech companies get a sweetheart deal that no other industry enjoys: complete exemption from traditional publisher liability in exchange for providing a forum free of political censorship. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, big tech has failed to hold up its end of the bargain.”