Some words on Trump’s Executive Order from Today on “Preventing Online Censorship” (Thread) whitehouse.gov/presidential-a…
The order targets 47 U.S. § 230 (c) - a provision that protects providers of social media platforms, which are not responsible for what is published on their platform (roughly speaking). Here’s the provision 
The Executive Order aims to reinterpret the way in which the provision has been used in the past - in the name of the protection of free speech. That, of course, is incredibly problematic. For two main reasons (at least at this hour of the night...)
1) The President cannot change legislation. That’s for Congress, so the EO attempts other avenues and 2) free speech protects against the state. Rather than the other way around.
We’ll have to see just how effective the EO will be. HOWEVER, there’s an interesting trade angle to this one. Exporting this clause one of the US ask in trade negotiations
While POTUS might not be able to change legislation, POTUS has a larger role in trade negotiations (as long as he remains within the objectives of the TPA).
Will the POTUS’ twitter feud lead to the US abandoning this strategy?
