When should online platforms be liable for unlawful activity? Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA 230) generally immunizes online platforms from liability when users engage in unlawful activity, but there are several exceptions to that immunity. Still, some websites have successfully hid behind CDA 230 while sex traffickers and other criminal enterprises run rampant on their platforms. In response, several bills have been introduced in Congress that would narrow the scope of CDA 230’s immunity and expand potential liability for online platforms that harbor unlawful activity. A panel of legal and policy experts discuss the current scope of CDA 230 and what impacts the proposed amendments would likely have on law enforcement, victims of sex trafficking, and the internet ecosystem writ large.

Panelists:

Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Associate Editor, Reason Magazine

Arthur Rizer, Director of National Security and Justice Policy, R Street Institute

Berin Szóka, President, TechFreedom

Jeff Kosseff, Assistant Professor, United States Naval Academy Center for Cyber Security Studies

Stacie Rumenap, President, Stop Child Predators

Mary Graw Leary, Professor of Law, Catholic University of America

Taina Bien-Aimé, Executive Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)

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