US Department of Justice aims to remove protections for social media companies

The US Department of Justice is set to propose a piece of legislation as early as Wednesday in an effort to draw back some of the protections big tech platforms such as Facebook and Google have enjoyed for years, according to Reuters.

These protections come under what is known as Section 230, which makes a distinction between publishers, who curate content, and platforms, upon which any user may post content.

This comes in light of recent missteps by those platforms that are acting like publishers. From Twitter and Facebook bringing in boards to oversee content and monitor users posts, complete with warning labels being slapped onto posts by major figures, such as Donald Trump, to Google's recent actions to demonetize platforms based on their users' content, these platforms are losing their ability to differentiate themselves from publishers.

Talk concerning DOJ action in this area was brought up in late May, when President Donald Trump said he would offer legislation that could weaken a law that has protected internet companies, including Twitter—a platform that has fact-checked Trump.

Senator Josh Hawley was one of three Republican representatives to offer a bill that would enable individuals to bring suit against censorious tech companies that limit their free speech.

The Justice Department plans to propose that Congress draft this legislation. Trump intends to "remove or change" a provision Section 230 that protects social media companies from having to take responsibility for content posted by users of the platform.