Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act currently lets internet platforms like social media sites remove or block content they consider obscene, violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, without being sued for it, even if that content would otherwise be legally protected speech. This bill narrows that legal shield so platforms are only protected from lawsuits when they remove content that is actually unlawful, not just content they find offensive or inappropriate. Removing legal-but-unwanted material, such as harassment, hate speech, or misinformation that doesn't cross a legal line, would no longer carry the same liability protection. In exchange, the bill adds a new protection for platforms that let users voluntarily turn on filters to block certain content for themselves, rather than the platform removing it for everyone. The change could affect how aggressively social media companies moderate content, since removing legal-but-objectionable posts would carry more legal risk than it does today.
Civil Liberties
- Platform content-moderation immunity — Narrowed from covering obscene, violent, harassing, and other objectionable material to only unlawful material
- User opt-in filtering immunity — New legal protection added for platforms that let users choose to restrict material for themselves
Congressional Summary
Stop the Censorship ActThis bill limits the federal liability protection afforded to providers and users of interactive computer services (e.g., social media companies) for their efforts to screen and block objectionable content. This liability protection is often referred to as Section 230 protection. Specifically, the bill eliminates the existing liability protection for providers and users that take voluntary, good faith action to screen and block material they deem obscene, lewd, lascivious, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable (or that make available the technical means to screen and block such content). The bill instead provides liability protection to providers and users (1) that take voluntary, good faith action to screen and block unlawful material (or that make available the technical means to do so), or (2) that provide users with the option to screen or block any other material.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-04
- Date Added
- 2026-07-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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