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The executive order directs a Commerce Department agency to file a petition with FCC to clarify the scope of Section 230. What is Section 230? Know all about it here.
The US President Donald Trump on May 28, 2020 signed an executive order to increase the governmentтАЩs ability to regulate social media platforms.
The US President stated that the move is being taken to defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history.
The order comes two days after Twitter labelled two of TrumpтАЩs tweets as misleading by highlighting them with a label.
Donald J. Trump┬атЬФ@realDonaldTrump┬а┬аhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-preventing-online-censorship/┬атАж
Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship | The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. ┬аP
whitehouse.gov
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Key Highlights┬а
тАв┬аThe executive order directs a Commerce Department agency to file a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the scope of Internet law, Section 230. The proposition invited criticism from Democratic members of the commission.
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тАв┬аThe order also directs federal agencies to review their spending on social media advertising.
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тАв┬аThe executive order not only tests the boundaries of the White House's authority, but it is also being viewed as a dramatic escalation by Trump against tech companies as they struggle with the growing problem of misinformation, especially on social media platforms.┬а
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тАв┬аWhile passing the order, Trump acknowledged that it is likely to get challenged in the court but they will be ready for it.
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Section 230: All you need to know |
What is Section 230?Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 is a landmark Internet legislation of the United States, which helped pave the way for social media companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook to grow into global giants. Scope of Section 230The scope of Section 230 is not limitless, as it still requires internet providers to remove criminal material from user pages such as copyright infringement. The section was amended un 2018 by the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act to direct the internet providers to remove material violating federal and state sex trafficking laws.┬а Why has Section 230 come under scrutiny?The protections offered by Section 230 to the internet providers have come under scrutiny lately with rising issues related to hate speech and ideological biases in relation to the power technology companies can hold on political discussions. SignificanceSection 230 is often referred to as the тАЬtwenty-six words that created the internet.тАЭ The law was passed at a time when internet use had just begun expanding. It is known as the key law that led the internet to flourish.┬а |
Background
Twitter had on May 26, 2020 labelled tweets from US President Donald Trump as misleading by highlighting two of his tweets that falsely claimed mail-in ballots would lead to widespread voter fraud. Twitter labelled both the tweets with a message-тАЬ Get the facts about mail-in-ballotsтАЭ, which was linked to a fact-checking platform. Twitter defended the move by saying that it was aimed at providing "context" around Trump's remarks.┬а