The House Commerce Committee on Sunday announced bipartisan draft legislation that would sunset Communications Decency Act Section 230 in December 2025. Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., issued a discussion draft that encourages "Congress and stakeholders to work together over the next 18 months to evaluate and enact a new legal framework that will allow for free speech and innovation while also incentivizing these companies to be good stewards of their platforms.” Rodgers and Pallone said in a Wall Street Journal joint opinion piece Sunday: “Section 230 is now poisoning the healthy online ecosystem it once fostered. Big Tech companies are exploiting the law to shield them from any responsibility or accountability as their platforms inflict immense harm on Americans, especially children.” The legislation offers the tech industry a choice, they said: “Work with Congress to ensure the internet is a safe, healthy place for good, or lose Section 230 protections entirely.” CTA CEO Gary Shapiro opposed the draft bill, saying in a statement Monday that “Section 230 has propelled the U.S. to global leadership in tech and given us the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystem. Eliminating Section 230 would be a huge gift to our economic rivals abroad. Congress should say NO to this bill.” Similarly, NetChoice opposed the measure, with Vice President Carl Szabo saying Section 230 doesn’t shield violators from federal criminal law. Sunsetting Section 230 won't achieve Congress’ intended goal of holding bad actors accountable, he said. NetChoice recommended Congress craft laws that increase resources for law enforcement as it investigates and prosecutes “digital criminals.” In the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have explored repealing Section 230 as a way of protecting children from social media harms (see 2403110033).
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
The Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday plans to mark up legislation that would regulate kids’ social media use, Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., announced Friday.
Backers of stopgap funding for the FCC’s ailing affordable connectivity program and Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program believe they made progress last week toward their goal of firming up the initiatives even as a bid attaching funds to the FAA reauthorization legislation appeared all but dead. Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., emerged from the chamber Thursday night touting commitments from leaders to move forward on allocating the proposed money even as the body voted 88-4 to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act (HR-3935) without funding language he and others sought (see 2405070083).
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed a kids safety bill (HB-603) modeled after the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, his office confirmed Thursday. Moore signed despite the tech industry's veto request. NetChoice General Counsel Carl Szabo said the Maryland law is unconstitutional and will have unintended consequences, all without making the internet safer for kids. Meanwhile, two other states advanced bills aimed at protecting children online Wednesday. The Pennsylvania House voted 105-95 to pass HB-2017, which would set age-verification and content-flagging requirements for social media companies (see 2403190050). The bill will go to the Senate. In South Carolina, the Senate voted 43-0 for H-3424, another bill requiring age verification to keep kids younger than 18 off pornographic websites. The House previously passed the bill (see 2402010024) but will have to vote again to concur with Senate changes.
Republican lawmakers blasted NPR CEO Katherine Maher during a House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing Wednesday and suggested that Congress should conduct more regular oversight of NPR and CPB or defund them (see 2405070044).
A measure regulating children’s social media use has sufficient bipartisan support for the Senate Commerce Committee to approve it, ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told us last week.
Apparently undaunted by tech industry opposition, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill (HB-1891) requiring age-verification for social media use. Lee’s signature wasn’t surprising because he sought legislation requiring parental consent for kids younger than 18 on social networks (see 2403120065). However, NetChoice urged a veto, saying the law wouldn’t survive a court challenge if it were enacted (see 2404300017).
Social media companies would be barred from collecting data on Louisiana minors under 18 for targeted ads, under a bill passed unanimously by the state House on Tuesday. Members voted 101-0 for HB-577, sending it to the state Senate. The bill covers any social media platform with more than one million users globally that operates in Louisiana.
Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday would eliminate algorithmic-targeted content for children younger than 17 and block users 13 and under from using platforms. Introduced by Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, the Kids Off Social Media Act would grant the FTC and state attorney general authority to enforce against violations. It would require schools to block and filter social media on federally funded networks. Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt.; Ted Budd, R-N.C.; John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Angus King, I-Maine; and Mark Warner, D-Va.; are co-sponsors. “The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed, more anxious, and more suicidal,” said Schatz. “This is an urgent health crisis, and Congress must act.” Cruz said he’s hopeful this bill, the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) will “greatly reduce the physical and emotional dangers threatening many of America’s youth.”
The White House didn’t pressure social media platform executives to censor COVID-19-related content, former Biden officials told House Judiciary Committee members Wednesday. Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Republicans said the officials' pressure violated the First Amendment. The lawmakers cited numerous examples of tech company employees describing “pressure” from the administration.