U.S. Sets Meeting On Liability For Posts On Online Platforms

The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it will hold a public meeting on Feb. 19 to discuss the future of a federal law which largely exempts online platforms from legal liability for the material their users post.

The meeting will examine the future of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides immunity to companies such as Facebook, Alphabet’s Google and Twitter for content posted by users, although companies can still be held liable for content that violates criminal or intellectual property law.

The meeting titled ‘Section 230 — Nurturing Innovation or Fostering Unaccountability?’ will explore the expansive interpretation of the law by courts, it’s impact on citizens, businesses and will look at whether improvements to the law should be made, the Justice Department said in a statement.

“Now that the industry has matured, valid questions have been raised regarding the broad scope of Section 230 and whether the immunity is still required in its current form,” the statement said.