Thread by @freepress

A THREAD: Why is Mitch McConnell holding up $2000 checks that people desperately need over #Section230? Normally this is where we'd say “it’s complicated” but honestly “it’s baffling” is a better fit. (1)

Let’s start with what it is. The key part of #Section230 is 26 words.

It says:

"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." (2)

Trump and his supporters have gotten it in their heads that repealing #Section230 will protect conservative speech online. (It won’t.)

Others are eager to hold tech companies accountable for their failures to stop disinformation and hate & see this as a pathway. (It won’t.) (3)

If #Section230 is repealed, this isn't just about Facebook and Twitter. This has potential impacts in every single piece of content you generate and could lead to massive censorship or pre-screening of content. So basically, the entirety of the internet as we know it. (4)

There is nothing about getting rid of #Section230 that would magically lead to more conservative content on social media. Likewise, getting rid of it wouldn’t get rid of disinformation and hate online. (5)

As @CarmenScurato and @GauravLaroia put it: "Platforms still aren’t doing enough to stop hate, but what they are doing is in large part thanks to having 230 in place.”

More here: techdirt.com/articles/20200… (6)

@CarmenScurato @GauravLaroia Using #Section230 as a pawn in the debate over whether or not to send more direct financial relief to people in the midst of a global pandemic that has led to massive unemployment, recession, homelessness, food insecurity and more is shameful. (7/end)