Hi everyone,
We wanted to give you an update on a pair of bills currently under
consideration in the United States Congress which would weaken intermediary
liability protections for hosts of user-generated content. For several
months, Congress has been considering two competing bills to address the
problem of online sex trafficking, by creating new holes in the protections
granted to online platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency
Act.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that combines
provisions of both the Senate bill (SESTA) and original House bill (FOSTA),
a move which has been described as the “worst of both worlds
<https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2018/02/congress-probably-will-ruin-section-230-this-week-sestafosta-updates.htm>”
for online platforms. That hybrid bill will now proceed to the Senate,
where a vote is expected within the next two weeks.
At a time when there is increased pressure from policymakers on internet
platforms to monitor their websites for harmful or illegal content, we
remain concerned about any legislative changes to Section 230
<https://medium.com/@Wikimedia/three-principles-in-cda-230-that-make-wikipedia-possible-c0fb0006a932>.
This provision has been critical for enabling collaborative,
community-driven projects like Wikipedia. Any changes to these key
protections for websites require careful consideration of their impact, not
only on large technology companies, but on user-driven platforms of all
kinds. We will continue to support legislative frameworks that promote
freedom of expression and collaboration online in the US and other regions
of the world.
Best,
Leighanna
--
Leighanna Mixter
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104
lmixter(a)wikimedia.org
NOTICE: *This message might have confidential or legally privileged
information in it. If you have received this message by accident, please
delete it and let us know about the mistake. As an attorney for the
Wikimedia Foundation, for legal/ethical reasons I cannot give legal advice
to, or serve as a lawyer for, community members, volunteers, or staff
members in their personal capacity. For more on what this means, please see
our legal disclaimer
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Legal_Disclaimer>.*