Section 230
Social Media Not About Publisher Versus Platform, Says Expert Author on Section 230

July 13, 2020 — Social media moderation will inevitably be biased to some degree, said Jeff Kosseff, assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy and author of The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet.
“I mean, they’re anecdotal reports, and what the anecdotal reports say to me is these are really hard decisions,” Kosseff said in a Lincoln Network webinar Monday. “Again, moderation will be biased to some degree, and a lot of the moderation decisions are no brainers — things that are clearly illegal… but when it gets to things that are legal speech, constitutionally-protected… that’s where it gets hard.”
Kosseff said that while he is open to listening to such anecdotal reports of bias, he has not yet seen evidence of systemic prejudice against conservatives.
“I have not seen any aggregate statistical evidence of that — but that’s not to rule out that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “This is where a fact would be really, really useful in the debate.”
Arguments about Section 230 that include lines about publisher versus platform distinctions are incorrect, Kosseff explained.
“It’s not from the text of Section 230,” he said. “The publisher/platform distinction, that’s really something that has materialized in the recent debate about Section 230 in the past few years.”
Kosseff said that a more accurate distinction would be between publisher and distributor.
“A distributor is someone who distributes someone else’s content like a bookstore, and they become liable if they [distribute illegal materials],” he said. “But a publisher, something like a newpaper’s letter to the editor page isn’t strictly liable.”
Section 230 is crucial to internet freedom, Kosseff claimed.
“My personal opinion is that Section 230 is an incredibly important law,” he said. “And I’m actually surprised that it’s taken this long for there to be public attention to it.”
Section 230
Crackdown on Online Conspiracy Speakers After January 6 Highlights Need for Platform Accountability

July 13, 2020 — Social media moderation will inevitably be biased to some degree, said Jeff Kosseff, assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy and author of The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet.
“I mean, they’re anecdotal reports, and what the anecdotal reports say to me is these are really hard decisions,” Kosseff said in a Lincoln Network webinar Monday. “Again, moderation will be biased to some degree, and a lot of the moderation decisions are no brainers — things that are clearly illegal… but when it gets to things that are legal speech, constitutionally-protected… that’s where it gets hard.”
Kosseff said that while he is open to listening to such anecdotal reports of bias, he has not yet seen evidence of systemic prejudice against conservatives.
“I have not seen any aggregate statistical evidence of that — but that’s not to rule out that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “This is where a fact would be really, really useful in the debate.”
Arguments about Section 230 that include lines about publisher versus platform distinctions are incorrect, Kosseff explained.
“It’s not from the text of Section 230,” he said. “The publisher/platform distinction, that’s really something that has materialized in the recent debate about Section 230 in the past few years.”
Kosseff said that a more accurate distinction would be between publisher and distributor.
“A distributor is someone who distributes someone else’s content like a bookstore, and they become liable if they [distribute illegal materials],” he said. “But a publisher, something like a newpaper’s letter to the editor page isn’t strictly liable.”
Section 230 is crucial to internet freedom, Kosseff claimed.
“My personal opinion is that Section 230 is an incredibly important law,” he said. “And I’m actually surprised that it’s taken this long for there to be public attention to it.”
#broadbandlive
Special Broadband Breakfast Live Online Town Hall on Section 230 on Wednesday, January 13, 2021

July 13, 2020 — Social media moderation will inevitably be biased to some degree, said Jeff Kosseff, assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy and author of The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet.
“I mean, they’re anecdotal reports, and what the anecdotal reports say to me is these are really hard decisions,” Kosseff said in a Lincoln Network webinar Monday. “Again, moderation will be biased to some degree, and a lot of the moderation decisions are no brainers — things that are clearly illegal… but when it gets to things that are legal speech, constitutionally-protected… that’s where it gets hard.”
Kosseff said that while he is open to listening to such anecdotal reports of bias, he has not yet seen evidence of systemic prejudice against conservatives.
“I have not seen any aggregate statistical evidence of that — but that’s not to rule out that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “This is where a fact would be really, really useful in the debate.”
Arguments about Section 230 that include lines about publisher versus platform distinctions are incorrect, Kosseff explained.
“It’s not from the text of Section 230,” he said. “The publisher/platform distinction, that’s really something that has materialized in the recent debate about Section 230 in the past few years.”
Kosseff said that a more accurate distinction would be between publisher and distributor.
“A distributor is someone who distributes someone else’s content like a bookstore, and they become liable if they [distribute illegal materials],” he said. “But a publisher, something like a newpaper’s letter to the editor page isn’t strictly liable.”
Section 230 is crucial to internet freedom, Kosseff claimed.
“My personal opinion is that Section 230 is an incredibly important law,” he said. “And I’m actually surprised that it’s taken this long for there to be public attention to it.”
Section 230
Senate Judiciary Committee Teases, and Then Pulls, Bills Dramatically Narrowing Section 230 Protections

July 13, 2020 — Social media moderation will inevitably be biased to some degree, said Jeff Kosseff, assistant professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy and author of The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet.
“I mean, they’re anecdotal reports, and what the anecdotal reports say to me is these are really hard decisions,” Kosseff said in a Lincoln Network webinar Monday. “Again, moderation will be biased to some degree, and a lot of the moderation decisions are no brainers — things that are clearly illegal… but when it gets to things that are legal speech, constitutionally-protected… that’s where it gets hard.”
Kosseff said that while he is open to listening to such anecdotal reports of bias, he has not yet seen evidence of systemic prejudice against conservatives.
“I have not seen any aggregate statistical evidence of that — but that’s not to rule out that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “This is where a fact would be really, really useful in the debate.”
Arguments about Section 230 that include lines about publisher versus platform distinctions are incorrect, Kosseff explained.
“It’s not from the text of Section 230,” he said. “The publisher/platform distinction, that’s really something that has materialized in the recent debate about Section 230 in the past few years.”
Kosseff said that a more accurate distinction would be between publisher and distributor.
“A distributor is someone who distributes someone else’s content like a bookstore, and they become liable if they [distribute illegal materials],” he said. “But a publisher, something like a newpaper’s letter to the editor page isn’t strictly liable.”
Section 230 is crucial to internet freedom, Kosseff claimed.
“My personal opinion is that Section 230 is an incredibly important law,” he said. “And I’m actually surprised that it’s taken this long for there to be public attention to it.”
-
Artificial Intelligence1 month ago
U.S. Special Operations Command Employs AI and Machine Learning to Improve Operations
-
Broadband Roundup2 months ago
Benton on Middle Mile Open Access Networks, CENIC Fiber Route in California, Investors Buying Bitcoin
-
Section 2303 months ago
President Trump’s FCC Nominee Grilled on Section 230 During Senate Confirmation Hearing
-
#broadbandlive4 months ago
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 — Case Studies of Transformative 5G Apps in the Enterprise
-
Artificial Intelligence1 week ago
Artificial Intelligence Aims to Enhance Human Capabilities, But Only With Caution and Safeguards
-
Broadband Roundup2 months ago
Trump Signs Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence, How Not to Wreck the FCC, Broadband Performance in Europe
-
5G2 months ago
5G Stands to Impact Industry Before Consumers, Says Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg
-
#broadbandlive4 months ago
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 — Champions of Broadband: Sunne McPeak