OPINION: Treat Big Tech like Big Tobacco to protect our kids
It is conceivable that Section 230 could be repealed with a single sentence:"Section 509 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is hereby repealed." That section is found in 47 USC Section 230 in toto. in the digital world, listen to the surgeon general’s warning, and ensure that Attorney General Merrick Garland prioritizes the aggressive prosecution of existing federal laws criminalizing sexual predation, obscene pornography and the online sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
Congress needs to vehemently redirect this course and pass bipartisan legislation to rein in this nonsense. On May 4, the bipartisan Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 was re-introduced in the Senate, and passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If enacted, this law will remove blanket immunity for Big Tech companies that knowingly facilitate distribution of child sex abuse material on their platforms.
It is critical that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calls for a floor vote this session to pass EARN IT, which also affords innocent victims of content depicting their abuse, as well as state attorneys general, to seek legal recourse against online platforms that engage in the distribution and circulation of CSAM.
Several other bipartisan bills were recently re-introduced in the Senate, including the Kids Online Safety Act, requiring social media platforms to implement stronger safety measures to mitigate harm to minors, and The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, establishing greater online privacy protections for children and minors.
I urge Congress to consider a blanket repeal of Section 230, pass the above-mentioned legislation, establish a regulatory regime, and require Big Tech to fund a multibillion-dollar education campaigns similar to the one required of Big Tobacco.
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