The internet’s favorite law is 30 years old this week, and lots of people feel it’s time for the law to die.
Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, is one of them.
Durbin held a press conference last week arguing to sunset Section 230. He was joined, of course, by 10 Things I Hate About You actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is an anti-Section 230 advocate I guess? People have been messaging me clips of JGL railing against tech companies.
Anyway – before Senator Durbin stepped up to the podium, he did an interview with me about why he believes now is the time to go after Section 230, and what he thinks is really standing in the way.
We’ve been covering Section 230 a lot on Question Everything, and I told him I’ve come to believe it needs to change. Durbin called the law a “get out of jail free card” for tech platforms and said that after 30 years of immunity, it’s long overdue for Congress to act. At one point I asked him where this ranks among his priorities, especially now that he’s announced his retirement. Is it in his top twenty priorities? Top ten?
His answer: “Top five.”
In our conversation, Durbin described how some fellow Senators have publicly called for repeal of Section 230 – he says they want to be on record acting tough on Big Tech – but then quietly asked leadership behind the scenes to make sure the bill never reached the floor.
“Big tech has grown from virtually nothing to a major player. A lot of money, a lot of authority, a lot of power, and my colleagues in the Senate don’t wanna take ‘em on,” Durbin told me.
If you care about Section 230, or if you’re worried about what changing it might do, this is a look at how one of its biggest critics is thinking about the fight right now. Check out the full interview.
Brian
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