Should big tech companies be reined in? A US News and World Report survey found that roughly 74% of respondents say technology giants should see their powers limited. The flashpoint surrounding regulation is Federal Law Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act. Section 230 was enacted in 1996 — long before Facebook, Google, and Twitter — and it provides, in part, websites with protection from liability for content created and shared on their sites by users.
While there are some things that aren’t protected, like child pornography and intellectual property violations, for the most part websites aren’t responsible for posts by users because, in the context of the law, the website isn’t a publisher, it’s simply the host. And this, some members of Congress argue, is a problem.
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Source: Disinformation, Regulation, and the Future of Sec 230 | UC Berkeley School of Information