The Future of Social Media: Supreme Court to Revisit Section 230

 Giant social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have operated under two crucial tenets: the power to decide what content to keep online and what to take down, and not be held legally responsible for most of what their users post online.

The Supreme Court is now poised to reconsider these rules, potentially leading to a significant reset of the doctrines governing online speech.

The court is also scheduled to hear a case that questions Section 230, a 1996 statute that protects the platforms from liability for the content posted by their users.

 These cases could alter the hands-off legal position that the U.S. has taken toward online speech, potentially affecting the businesses of social media platforms.

The cases are part of a growing global battle over how to handle harmful speech online.

As social media platforms attracted billions of users and became influential communications conduits, the power they wielded came under increasing scrutiny.

 As social media platforms attracted billions of users and became influential communications conduits, the power they wielded came under increasing scrutiny.

The Supreme Court case that challenges Section 230 of the Communications Act is likely to have many ripple effects, including potentially changing the protections platforms have from lawsuits over user-generated content.

While newspapers and magazines can be sued over what they publish, Section 230 shields online platforms from lawsuits over most content posted by their users. It also protects platforms from lawsuits when they take down posts.

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