Statement On Today’s Executive Order Concerning Social Media And CDA 230

Washington, DC – IA Interim President & CEO Jon Berroya issued the following statement in response to an Executive Order concerning social media platforms and Section 230:

“IA member companies offer more people a chance to share their perspectives than at any point in history, something that has been widely acknowledged by politicians, academics, and Americans across the political spectrum. Claims of so-called viewpoint bias rely on isolated anecdotes that are undermined by the fact that politicians and political groups successfully use social media to reach millions of followers every day. 

“Section 230, by design and reinforced by several decades of case law, empowers platforms and services to remove harmful, dangerous, and illegal content based on their terms of service, regardless of who posted the content or their motivations for doing so.

“Based on media reports, this proposed Executive Order seems designed to punish a handful of companies for perceived slights and is inconsistent with the purpose and text of Section 230. It stands to undermine a variety of government efforts to protect public safety and spread critical information online through social media and threatens the vibrancy of a core segment of our economy.”

###