Graham Leads Bill to Sunset Section 230 Immunity, Protect Americans Online

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Ashley Moody (R-Florida) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) introduced the Sunset Section 230 Act.

"I am extremely pleased that there is such wide and deep bipartisan support for repealing Section 230, which protects social media companies from being sued by the people whose lives they destroy. Giant social media platforms are unregulated, immune from lawsuits and are making billions of dollars in advertising revenue off some of the most unsavory content and criminal activity imaginable," said Senator Graham. "It is past time to allow those who have been harmed by these behemoths to have their day in court."

"Children are being exploited and abused because Big Tech consistently prioritizes profits over people. Enough is enough. Sunsetting Section 230 will force Big Tech to come to the table take ownership over the harms it has wrought. And if Big Tech doesn't, this bill will open the courtroom to victims of its platforms. Parents have been begging Congress to step in, and it's time we do so. I'm proud to partner with Senator Graham on this effort, and we will push for it to become law," said U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"For nearly 30 years, Section 230 has provided Big Tech cover as they turn a blind eye to heinous crimes committed on their platforms," SenatorGrassley said. "As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I'm glad to join my bipartisan colleagues in this effort to update our nation's laws, reign in Section 230 and hold Big Tech accountable."

"When Section 230 was enacted 30 years ago it was intended to give small tech companies space to innovate. But today many of these companies are now worth billions and even trillions of dollars yet the law still shields them from accountability from harms that occur on their platforms including child exploitation and illegal fentanyl sales," said Senator Klobuchar. "Parents and victims should be able to hold these companies accountable by suing for damages, the same way they can sue if injured by nearly any other product."

"For too long, Big Tech giants have hidden behind the outdated shield of Section 230 to censor conservative voices and silence viewpoints they don't agree with," said Senator Blackburn. "We must repeal Section 230 to finally hold Big Tech accountable and restore true freedom of speech and fairness online for the American people."

"Big Tech hides behind Section 230 to dodge accountability while their platforms exploit children and inflict harm on the American people. Mark Zuckerberg and others have spent a decade claiming to support Section 230 reforms in public, while their lobbyists and lawyers fight tooth-and-nail behind the scenes. Our bipartisan measure would force Big Tech to the table with a bold demand: either negotiate sensible reforms now or lose your absolute immunity forever," said Senator Blumenthal.

Senator Ashley Moody said, "As a former prosecutor and the mother of a school aged child I know firsthand the dangers our children face online. We are the first generation of parents having to deal with predators getting to our children under our own roofs through their devices. The old rules - stranger danger, don't get in the van - aren't enough to protect them anymore. That is why I am throwing my full support behind the Sunset Section 230 Act, and I urge my colleagues to get off the sidelines and finally do something to protect our kids."

"The internet has dramatically transformed since the Communications Decency Act was passed in 1996. Nearly 30 years later, Section 230 has been used by America's biggest tech giants not as a tool but as a shield, providing immunity from legal consequences when their platforms harm consumers," said Senator Welch. "Our bipartisan bill to sunset Section 230 is an important step forward in a bipartisan effort to hold Big Tech accountable. It will protect children and other vulnerable communities from harm, misinformation, and exploitation."

This bill is endorsed by Less Than 3, Enough Is Enough, Zero Abuse Project, National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), Institute for Family Studies, American Principles Project, Bull Moose Project, Protect Young Eyes, Concerned Women for America Action, Fairplay for Kids, ParentsSOS, David's Legacy Foundation, Digital Progress Institute, Rights4Girls and Digital Childhood Alliance.

Background on the Sunset Section 230 Act:

Section 230 was created in 1996, as a part of the Communications Decency Act, to allow then-fledgling social media companies to grow without fear of lawsuits. Those days have long since passed, as these companies are now some of the most powerful in the history of the world.

In the digital era, thousands of Americans, many of whom are children, have been targeted by online perpetrators who engage in harassment, bullying, the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and sextortion-a type of online blackmail using nude or sexually explicit images. In certain cases, victims of these crimes are driven to suicide within mere minutes or hours after being abused online, long before their loved ones ever knew they were victimized. Surviving victims and their families are unable to sue the social media companies that criminals use to commit these heinous acts due to protections under Section 230.

This legislation would repeal Section 230 two years after the date of enactment so that those harmed online can bring legal action against the companies, and finally hold them accountable for the harms that occur on their platforms.

The full text of the bill is HERE.

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