Section 230 and the U.S Policy Debates Surrounding Content Moderation and Online Speech

This paper provides an overview of Section 230, a law that provides broad liability protection in the United States for online platforms regarding user-generated content, and the ongoing debates about the impact of the law, content moderation, and online speech. It begins by explaining the intended purposes of Section 230, discusses criticisms it currently faces, and reviews the potential consequences and policy concerns with many of the proposed changes. It concludes that Section 230 remains an important policy to continue free speech online and to encourage innovation by limiting risk from user speech for new online platforms.