CDA 230 for a Smart Internet
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Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: Research Library Perspectives June 2021 by Katherine Klosek
Issue Brief Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: Research Library Perspectives June 2021 By Katherine Klosek With thanks to Jonathan Band, General Counsel at ARL; Greg Cram, Director of Copyright, Permissions & Information Policy at New York Public Library; and Judy Ruttenberg, Senior Director of Scholarship and Policy at ARL Introduction 3 Background 3 Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act 5 Libraries and Section 230 7 FOSTA: The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafcking Act 9 Discussion 10 Appendix: Discussion Guide 12 Access to Information 12 Afordability 12 Anti-harassment 12 Diversity 13 Open Internet 13 Political Neutrality/Freedom of Expression 14 Privacy 14 Issue Brief: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—June 2021 2 Introduction The 117th US Congress is holding hearings and debating bills on changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a 1996 law that protects internet service providers and internet users from liability for content shared by third parties. When it was enacted, Section 230 ofered liability protections for then- nascent services that are integral to the development of the internet we have today. But Section 230 has come under fre from Democrats who believe internet service providers are not engaging in responsible content moderation, and from Republicans who believe that large social media companies censor conservative voices. This myopic debate ignores the longstanding role that research libraries have played as internet service providers, and the vast experience research libraries have in moderating and publishing content. More information on this topic can be found in the “Discussion” section of this brief. -
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO May 22, 2017 Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook 1 Hacker Way Menlo Park, CA 94025
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO May 22, 2017 Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook 1 Hacker Way Menlo Park, CA 94025 Dear Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg: I am writing on behalf of Consumer Watchdog to ask that Facebook take immediate steps to halt child sex-trafficking via the Internet and immediately support necessary amendments to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that would allow such cynical businesses as Backpage.com to be held accountable for actively aiding and abetting child sex trafficking. By one count 73% of child trafficking reports in the United States involve Backpage.com. Backpage hides behind the cloak of Sec. 230 while too many in the tech industry blindly and reflexively claim that needed amendments would undermine Internet freedom. Do not fall victim to this spurious claim. Action on your part now would be particularly timely; Congress has designated this week as “Combatting Trafficking and Child Protection Week” and expects to focus on the issue. Rep. Anne Wagner, R-Mo., has introduced H.R. 1865, the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017.” It could well be the vehicle that would finally allow Backpage to be held accountable. Just last week Consumer Watchdog, DeliverFund, Faith and Freedom Coalition, The Rebecca Project for Justice, Trafficking in America Taskforce and Nacole S., a sex-trafficking victim’s mother, released a comprehensive report detailing Backpage’s wrongful activities and how Google has spent millions to fund efforts to thwart any changes in Section 230. (http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/backpagereport.pdf) As detailed in the report, primary recipients of Google’s largess are two nonprofit organizations, The Center for Digital Democracy (CDT) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). -
An Overview of the Communication Decency Act's Section
Legal Sidebari Liability for Content Hosts: An Overview of the Communication Decency Act’s Section 230 Valerie C. Brannon Legislative Attorney June 6, 2019 Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA), broadly protects online service providers like social media companies from being held liable for transmitting or taking down user-generated content. In part because of this broad immunity, social media platforms and other online content hosts have largely operated without outside regulation, resulting in a mostly self-policing industry. However, while the immunity created by Section 230 is significant, it is not absolute. For example, courts have said that if a service provider “passively displays content that is created entirely by third parties,” Section 230 immunity will apply; but if the service provider helps to develop the problematic content, it may be subject to liability. Commentators and regulators have questioned in recent years whether Section 230 goes too far in immunizing service providers. In 2018, Congress created a new exception to Section 230 in the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, commonly known as FOSTA. Post-FOSTA, Section 230 immunity will not apply to bar claims alleging violations of certain sex trafficking laws. Some have argued that Congress should further narrow Section 230 immunity—or even repeal it entirely. This Sidebar provides background information on Section 230, reviewing its history, text, and interpretation in the courts. Legislative History Section 230 was enacted in early 1996, in the CDA’s Section 509, titled “Online Family Empowerment.” In part, this provision responded to a 1995 decision issued by a New York state trial court: Stratton- Oakmont, Inc. -
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
United States Court of Appeals For the First Circuit No. 15-1724 JANE DOE NO. 1 ET AL., Plaintiffs, Appellants, v. BACKPAGE.COM, LLC ET AL., Defendants, Appellees. APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS [Hon. Richard G. Stearns, U.S. District Judge] Before Barron, Circuit Judge, Souter, Associate Justice, and Selya, Circuit Judge. John T. Montgomery, with whom Ching-Lee Fukuda, Aaron M. Katz, Christine Ezzell Singer, Jessica L. Soto, Rebecca C. Ellis, and Ropes & Gray LLP were on brief, for appellants. Maura Healey, Attorney General of Massachusetts, and Genevieve C. Nadeau, Deputy Chief, Civil Rights Division, on brief for Commonwealth of Massachusetts, amicus curiae. Dennis J. Herrera, City Attorney, Victoria Wong, Mollie Lee, Elizabeth Pederson, and Mark D. Lipton, Deputy City Attorneys, on brief for City and County of San Francisco, amici curiae. Cathy Hampton, City Attorney, on brief for City of Atlanta, amicus curiae. Michael N. Feuer, City Attorney, James P. Clark, Mary Clare Hon. David H. Souter, Associate Justice (Ret.) of the Supreme Court of the United States, sitting by designation. Molidor, Anh Truong, Sahar Nayeri, and Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, on brief for City of Los Angeles, California, amicus curiae. Tracy Reeve, City Attorney, and Harry Auerbach, Chief Deputy City Attorney, on brief for City of Portland (Oregon), amicus curiae. Donna L. Edmundson, City Attorney, on brief for City of Houston, amicus curiae. Shelley R. Smith, City Solicitor, on brief for Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, amicus curiae. Jeffrey Dana, City Solicitor, on brief for City of Providence and Mayor Jorge O. -
Amicus Brief Respondents Backpage
No. 44920-02-11 COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION II OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON VILLAGE VOICE MEDIA HOLDINGS, L.L.C., d/b/a Backpage.com; BACKPAGE.COM, L.L.C.; and NEW TIMES MEDIA, L.L.C., d/b/a Backpage.com, Appellants, v. J.S., S.L., and L.C., Respondents. BRIEF OF RESPONDENTS J.S., S.L, and L.C. PFAU COCHRAN VERTETIS THE LAW OFFICE OF ERIK L. AMALA PLLC BAUER Darrell L. Cochran, WSBA #22851 Erik L. Bauer, WSBA #14937 Michael T. Pfau, WSBA#24649 Attorney for Respondents Jason P. Amala, WSBA #37054 215 Tacoma Ave. South Vincent T. Nappo, WSBA #44191 Tacoma, WA 98402 Attorneys for Respondents (253) 383-2000 phone 911 Pacific Ave. Ste. 200 Tacoma, WA 98402 (206)462-4334 phone (206) 623-3624 facsimile TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. RESTATEMENT OF ISSUES ON APPEAL 3 III. COUNTER-STATEMENT OF THE CASE 4 A. Factual Background 4 1. The Child Victims Allege the Backpage Defendants Were Responsible for Creating and/or Developing Unlawful Content on Backpage.com 4 2. The Backpage Defendants Trafficked Each of the Child Victims on Backpage.com 9 B. Procedural History 11 IV. ARGUMENT 13 A. Standard of Review 13 B. Congress Did Not Enact CDA § 230 to Immunize Websites That Create or Develop Unlawful Content Online 14 C. CDA § 230 Does Not Immunize Websites That Are Responsible, In Whole or In Part, for the "Development" of Illegal Content 16 D. Websites Like Backpage.com That "Materially Contribute" to Unlawful Content Are "Co-Developers" of That Content and Are Not Entitled to CDA § 230 Immunity 17 E. -
August 16, 2017 the Honorable Roger Wicker Chairman Senate
August 16, 2017 The Honorable Roger Wicker Chairman Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation The Honorable Brian Schatz Ranking Member Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The Honorable Marsha Blackburn Chairman House of Representatives Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Committee on Energy and Commerce The Honorable Michael Doyle Ranking Member House of Representative Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Committee on Energy and Commerce RE: Amendment of Communications Decency Act Dear Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Schatz, Chairman Blackburn, and Ranking Member Doyle: In 2013, Attorneys General from 49 states and territories wrote to Congress, informing it that some courts have interpreted the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (“CDA”) to render state and local authorities unable to take action against companies that actively profit from the promotion and facilitation of sex trafficking and crimes against children. Unfortunately, nearly four years later, this problem persists and these criminal profiteers often continue to operate with impunity. The recent news highlighting the potential complicity of online classified-ad company Backpage.com in soliciting sex traffickers’ ads for its website once again underscores the need 1850 M Street, NW to expand, not limit, the ability of all law-enforcement agencies to fight sex Twelfth Floor Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 326-6000 http://www.naag.org/ trafficking.1 The undersigned Attorneys General once again respectfully request that the United States Congress amend the CDA to affirm that state, territorial, and local authorities retain their traditional jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those who facilitate illicit acts and endanger our most vulnerable citizens. -
Filed Suit in Harris County Texas
1/23/2018 11:10 AM Chris Daniel - District Clerk Harris County Envelope No. 21995060 By: Nelson Cuero Filed: 1/23/2018 11:10 AM CAUSE NO.__________________ JANE DOE #1 § IN THE DISTRICT COURT § Plaintiff, § § vs. § § BACKPAGE.COM, LLC D/B/A BACKPAGE, § CARL FERRER, MICHAEL LACEY, JAMES § LARKIN, JOHN BRUNST, SCOTT SPEAR, § MEDALIST HOLDINGS, LLC, LEEWARD § HOLDINGS, LLC, CAMARILLO § HOLDINGS, LLC, DARTMOOR HOLDINGS § LLC, IC HOLDINGS, LLC, ATLANTISCHE § BEDRIJVEN C.V., UGC TECH GROUP C.V., § AMSTEL RIVER HOLDINGS, LLC, LUPINE § HOLDINGS, LLC, KICKAPOO RIVER § INVESTMENTS, LLC, CF HOLDINGS GP, § _____JUDICIAL DISTRICT LLC, CF ACQUISITIONS LLC, NEW TIMES § MEDIA, LLC, CHOICE HOTELS § INTERNATIONAL, INC. D/B/A QUALITY § INN, RUTIK, LLC D/B/A PALACE INN, § HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION D/B/A § HYATT PLACE AND HYATT REGENCY, § BALAJI HOTELS, INC. D/B/A SYMPHONY § INN, PILOT TRAVEL CENTERS, LLC D/B/A § FLYING J, FLYING J TRANSPORTATION, § LLC, FINEFAIR, INC. D/B/A PORT AUTO § TRUCK STOP, TRAVELCENTERS OF § AMERICA, LLC D/B/A TA TRUCK STOP § #017, TRAVEL CENTERS OF AMERICA § HOLDING COMPANY, LLC, LOVES § TRAVEL STOPS & COUNTRY STORES, § INC. D/B/A LOVE’S TRUCK STOP #401 § AND LOVES TRAVEL STOP 3940 N § McCARTY. § UnofficialCopyOfficeofChrisDanielDistrictClerk§ Defendants. § HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS PLAINTIFF’S ORIGINAL PETITION TO THE HONORABLE JUDGE OF SAID COURT: Comes Now, JANE DOE #1 Plaintiff in the above-styled and numbered cause, complaining of BACKPAGE.COM, LLC D/B/A BACKPAGE, CARL FERRER, MICHAEL LACEY, JAMES LARKIN, JOHN BRUNST, SCOTT SPEAR, MEDALIST HOLDINGS, LLC, LEEWARD HOLDINGS, LLC, CAMARILLO HOLDINGS, LLC, DARTMOOR HOLDINGS LLC, IC HOLDINGS, LLC, ATLANTISCHE BEDRIJVEN C.V., UGC TECH GROUP C.V., AMSTEL RIVER HOLDINGS, LLC, LUPINE HOLDINGS, LLC, KICKAPOO RIVER INVESTMENTS, LLC, CF HOLDINGS GP, LLC, CF ACQUISITIONS LLC, NEW TIMES MEDIA, LLC, CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC. -
A Study Estimating Online Sex Customers Research Report
Invisible Offenders: A Study Estimating Online Sex Customers Research Report This study and executive summary were developed from funding from Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research and supported by the Phoenix Police Department. Research Team from the Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research (STIR) Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, Ph.D., STIR Director Kristine Hickle, MSW, Doctoral Candidate, STIR Associate Director of Research Development James Gallagher, M.Admin, STIR Associate Director of Research Innovation and Lieutenant, Vice Enforcement Unit, Phoenix Police Department Jessica Smith, MA, STIR Project Coordinator Eric Hedberg, Ph.D., Arizona State University, Faculty Associate © ASU STIR and Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children 2013 1 Background Information Prostitution, the exchange of sex for money, drugs or other things has received increased attention in recent years from the media, advocacy groups, law enforcement and legislators with a specific focus on the victimization of minors in sex trafficking situations. Sex trafficking, sex trading and sex exchange are all used to describe the exchange of sex between a buyer and a provider or prostituted person. If the person is under the age of 18 years old or is prostituted by another person using force, fraud or coercion, it is defined as sex trafficking by the Victim of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (2000). Sex buyers of prostituted and sex trafficked persons are poorly understood as there are numerous challenges to detecting and studying them. The foci of this study, online sex ad customers, are hidden offenders who are rarely exposed to the public except by episodic targeted enforcement by police (Sanders, 2008). -
Google V. Hood
Case 3:14-cv-00981-HTW-LRA Document 37-1 Filed 01/22/15 Page 1 of 15 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI NORTHERN DIVISION GOOGLE, INC. PLAINTIFF VS. CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:14-cv-981-HTW-LRA JIM HOOD, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY DEFENDANT PROPOSED MEMORANDUM OF AMICUS CURIAE INTERNATIONAL ANTICOUNTERFEITING COALITION I. INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (“IACC”) is a nonprofit corporation recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(6). It has no parent corporation, and no publicly held corporation owns 10% or more of its stock. The IACC was established in 1979 to combat counterfeiting and piracy by promoting laws, regulations, directives, and relationships designed to render the theft of intellectual property undesirable and unprofitable. 1 Counterfeiting and piracy are scourges that threaten consumer health and safety and drain billions of dollars from the U.S. economy. The IACC is the oldest and largest organization in the country devoted exclusively to combating these threats. Today the IACC’s members include more than 230 companies in the pharmaceutical, health and beauty, automotive, fashion, food and beverage, computer and electronics, and entertainment industries, among others. The IACC offers anti-counterfeiting programs designed to increase protection for patents, trademarks, copyrights, service marks, trade dress and trade secrets. Critical to the IACC's 1 IACC states that no party’s counsel authored this brief in whole or in part; no party or party’s counsel contributed money that was intended to fund preparing or submitting this brief; and no person, other than the amicus curiae and its members, contributed money that was intended to fund preparing or submitting this brief. -
Social Media Immunity in 2021 and Beyond: Will Platforms Continue to Avoid Litigation Exposure Faced by Offline Counterparts
Social Media Immunity in 2021 and Beyond: Will Platforms Continue to Avoid Litigation Exposure Faced by Offline Counterparts By: Peter J. Pizzi Peter J. Pizzi, CIPPE/US, is a business trial lawyer with decades of experience in commercial litigation, internal investigations, technology litigation, eDiscovery, and labor and employment law. A Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Peter represents corporate clients in a broad array of industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services, information technology, cosmetics, industrial equipment, food service and others. Recent highlights include a federal court jury verdict on a contract claim arising from an acquisition and pre-discovery dismissals of consumer class actions in the convenience store retail and private aviation industries. A member of the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania bars, Peter is former Chair of IADC’s Cyber Security, Data Privacy and Technology Committee. URING the 2020 election cycle, companies from being held liable for both the United States transmitting or taking down user- D presidential candidates generated content (UGC). Twice in called for changes to Section 230 of 2020, the Senate held hearings, with the Communications Decency Act of both sides demanding change to the 1996, which protects online service statute and to platform moderation providers like social media practices.1 Then, following the 1 Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman, The election was a chance for Facebook and Twitter to show they could control misinformation. Now lawmakers are grilling them on it, WASH. POST (Nov. 17, 2020), https://www.washingtonpost.com/techno 2 DEFENSE COUNSEL JOURNAL | JULY 2021 January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot, I. Origins Donald Trump and others within his circle were de-platformed by Defamation actions brought in Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. -
Section 230 Legislation in the 117Th Congress
Section 230 Legislation in the 117th Congress 47 USC 230, commonly referred to as Section 230, was passed as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Section 230 provides immunity for website platforms for third-party content posted on their platforms and allows platforms to remove or restrict content the service provider finds objectionable. This immunity has allowed the ad-supported internet to grow over the past 25 years without publishers facing crippling lawsuits for user-posted content. Both parties have raised issues about this immunity and support repeal or modification – for different reasons. Republicans, including Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), believe that platforms use Section 230 to censor the views of conservatives. Democrats, such as Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), want to remove the protections of Section 230 from ads and paid content, while allowing users to sue over content that threatens them with harassment or discrimination. Senate Bill Number Bill Title S. 47 Adversarial Platform Prevention Act of 2021 (APP Act) Sponsor Description Rubio (R-FL) This bill would require owners and operators of covered foreign software to provide consumers with a warning prior to the download of the software and requires annual reports to the FTC and DOJ on the privacy practices of the owner concerning US users. It would also remove Section 230 protection from owners of covered foreign software. Cosponsors History None 1.26.2021: Introduced in Senate 1.26.2021: Referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Bill Number Bill Title S. -
'Bite Me': Buffy and the Penetration of the Gendered Warrior-Hero
Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2002 ‘Bite Me’: Buffy and the penetration of the gendered warrior-hero SARA BUTTSWORTH, University of Western Australia Introduction Can the ultimate girl be the ultimate warrior? If warrior identity is simultaneously a quintessentially masculine identi er, and one of the core expressions of ‘innate’ masculinity, then the biggest transgression of warrior iconography posed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Buffy’s gender. Buffy is both like and not like ‘other girls’. The social conventions of mainstream femininity, which have so often been used to argue that women cannot be warriors, are often precisely what make Buffy such an effective soldier in her speculative world. The blurred boundaries that are possible in speculative texts open up space necessary to examine the arguments and gendered ideologies which govern what is, and what is not, possible in the ‘real’ world. Such texts can often make explicit what is implied in more ‘realistic’ representations, and can either destabilize or reinforce gendered cultural conventions.1 Established as the ‘chosen one’ in the 1992 lm, and then in the television series which debuted mid-season in 1997, Buffy has slashed her way not only through the ctional constraints placed upon her predecessors in vampire carnage, but through the conventions governing gendered constructions of the warrior.2 Warrior tradition con- structs a coherent masculinity, including impenetrable male bodies, as the key to warrior identity, and renders ‘slay-gal’3 not only paradoxical but, arguably, impossible. It is this (im)possibility, and the ways in which Buffy the Vampire Slayer fractures and reinvents the gendered identity of the warrior-hero, which are explored in this article.