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