Business News
Trump is expected to order a review of a law that protects Twitter,
Facebook and Google from being
responsible for material posted by their
users
US President Donald Trump is expected to order a review of a law that
has long protected Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet’s Google from being
responsible for the material posted by their users, according to a draft
executive order and a source familiar with the situation.
News of the order comes after Trump threatened to shut down websites he
accused of stifling conservative voices following a dispute with Twitter
after the company decided to tag Trump’s tweets about unsubstantiated
claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to
fact-check the posts.
The order, a draft copy of which was seen by Reuters, could change
before it is finalized. On Wednesday, officials said Trump will sign an
executive order on social media companies on Thursday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The executive order would require the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to propose and clarify regulations under Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online
platforms from legal liability for the material their users post. Such
changes could expose tech companies to more lawsuits.
The order asks the FCC to examine whether actions related to the editing
of content by social media companies should potentially lead to the
platform forfeiting its protections under section 230.
It requires the agency to look at whether a social media platform uses
deceptive policies to moderate content and if its policies are
inconsistent with its terms of service.
The draft order also states that the White House Office of Digital
Strategy will re-establish a tool to help citizens report cases of
online censorship.
Called the White House Tech Bias Reporting Tool, it will collect
complaints of online censorship and submit them to the Department of
Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
It requires the FTC to then “consider taking action”, look into whether
complaints violate the law, develop a report describing such complaints
and make the report publicly available.
The draft order also requires the Attorney General to establish a
working group including state attorneys general that will examine the
enforcement of state laws that prohibit online platforms from engaging
in unfair and deceptive acts.
The working group will also monitor or create watch-lists of users based on their interactions with content or other users.
Federal spending on online advertising will also be reviewed by U.S.
government agencies to ensure there are no speech restrictions by the
relevant platform.
It requires the head of each agency to report its findings to the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, within 30 days of the
date of this order.
By Reuters |
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