What United States Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (47 USC 230): Findings, Policy, Treatment of Publisher or Speaker, Good Samaritan Civil Liability Protection, Obligations of Interactive Computer Service, Effect on Other Laws, and Definitions requires
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, codified at 47 of the United States Code Section 230 within Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, is the principal federal statute providing legal immunity to interactive computer services and platforms for content posted by third parties and for good-faith content moderation decisions, and is the foundational legal framework for the modern United States internet and platform liability regime. Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(a) contains the Congressional findings regarding internet development and regulation. Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(b) contains the policy promoting internet development and free markets. Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(c) sets out the protection for Good Samaritan blocking and screening of offensive material including Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(c)(1) on treatment of publisher or speaker providing that no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider, and Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(c)(2) on civil liability providing that no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held liable on account of any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected. Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(d) sets out the obligations of interactive computer service regarding parental control notifications. Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(e) sets out the effect on other laws including no effect on criminal law, communications privacy law, intellectual property law, state law, and sex trafficking provisions (FOSTA-SESTA amendment). Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(f) contains the definitions including interactive computer service, information content provider, and access software provider. The statute is the controlling federal instrument for platform liability for third-party content.
Pillar: Creative, Content & Media IP · Authority: United States Government - Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title47/html/USCODE-2023-title47-chap5.htm
SHA-256 integrity: e207077feee45950e0c5406e48ef3c733742b8f648db171ca66855c29f8b3e63
Primary Citations — 8 traced to source
- Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. 230(a) - Congressional findings.
- Section 230, 47 U.S.C. 230(b) - policy promoting internet development and free markets.
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