Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says he is committed to fighting Big Tech and the protections it is afforded by Section 230. Under the law, social media platforms are shielded from liability for the content hosted by their websites.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says he is committed to fighting Big Tech and the protections it is afforded by Section 230. Under the law, social media platforms are shielded from liability for the content hosted by their websites.
On Friday, Twitter, Facebook, and a host of other social media platforms initiated a widespread crackdown on President Donald Trump and thousands of his supporters following violence at the Capitol on Wednesday. Twitter claimed that the president’s account was suspended for having the potential to incite violence among his more radical supporters.
In a Saturday post on Twitter, Graham described the social media blackout of President Donald Trump as a “serious mistake,” and pointed out that the Iranian leader is allowed to use a platform unavailable to the US President.
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View on X“I’m more determined than ever to strip Section 230 protections from Big Tech (Twitter) that let them be immune from lawsuits,” continued Graham. “Big Tech are the only companies in America that virtually have absolute immunity from being sued for their actions, and it’s only because Congress gave them that protection.”
“It is now time for Congress to repeal Section 230 and put Big Tech on the same legal footing as every other company in America. Legal accountability,” concluded the senator.
Stripping Big Tech of its Section 230 immunity has been a rallying cry for tech-savvy conservatives in recent weeks, following the lead of Human Events publisher Will Chamberlain, who called for everyone—not simply the allies of Big Tech—to enjoy equal access to social media platforms, as a civil right.
Conservatives, libertarians, and liberal dissenters have faced increased pressure on social media to tamper their views for fear of social media censorship brought on by political correctness and the rise of “cancel culture.” Many are now calling for a repeal, or at least reform of Section 230.
In contrast to its ban on Trump, Twitter has allowed China to promote and whitewash its genocidal policies on the platform.
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