A Safe Harbor Against Lawsuits
Information Today, Vol. 23, No. 10, p. 17, November 2006
3 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2010
Date Written: November 1, 2006
Abstract
The Communications Decency Act (CDA) was the first major attempt by Congress to regulate content on the Internet. It is largely known for its efforts to outlaw indecent and obscene speech on the Internet. The Act was challenged on the grounds that it infringed on free speech, a challenge that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997.
While the Supreme Court declared most of the CDA unconstitutional, one particular provision survived and is getting more and more attention of late. That provision, known as “Section 23” after its original section of CDA, provides legal protection to Internet content and service providers so that they cannot be sued for the acts of their users. The rise of Internet forums, blogs, podcasts and other sites that rely on users or subscribers to provide content has moved Section 230 back into public scrutiny.
Keywords: safe harbor provision, Communications Decency Act, Section 230, internet service providers, lawsuits, technology, legislation, copyright infringement, free speech
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation