When politicians and big tech clash over political bias, fake news, and content moderation, who wins? And will it be "Game Over" for the Internet as we know it?

At the heart of this battle is a once-obscure section of an unpopular law from the 90s that, arguably, brought the Internet out of the wild west and made it what it is today. Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act has been in the news a lot, but what the heck is it? Why do some people argue it gives a voice to the powerless while others say it allows giant corporations to stifle free speech? And how will the outcome of this fight affect YOU?

In "Leave a Decent Comment," experts, politicians, and pundits debate the pros and cons of amending Section 230 by looking at how the Internet developed and its many possible futures.

There's a war brewing over Section 230 that could dramatically change our online lives.

In this short film, Former Representative Chris Cox, Senator Ted Cruz, Ashkhen Kazaryan, Rachel Bovard, and Jeff Kosseff, explain the history and current issues around Section 230.

As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

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Jeff Kosseff is speaking for himself and not on behalf of the U.S. government.

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Chapters:

00:00​ Opening

04:17​ Level I: The Land Rush 

06:22​ Level II: Somebody Poisoned the Water Hole 

08:49​ Level III: New Sheriff in Town

13:30​ Level IV: Cowboys Hold on to Their Homestead

20:13​ Level V: The End of the Frontier?

23:52​ Credits

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Learn more about Rep. Chris Cox:
https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/C/COX,-Charles-Christopher-(C000830)/

Learn more about Senator Ted Cruz:
https://www.cruz.senate.gov/​
Follow Senator Cruz @tedcruz:
https://twitter.com/tedcruz​

Learn more about Ashkhen Kazaryan
https://fedsoc.org/contributors/ashkhen-kazaryan
​Follow Ashkhen @Ashkhen:
https://twitter.com/Ashkhen​

Learn more about Rachel Bovard
https://www.conservativepartnership.org/staff/rachel-bovard
Follow Rachel @rachelbovard:
https://twitter.com/rachelbovard​

Learn more about Jeff Kosseff
https://www.jeffkosseff.com/​
Follow Jeff: @jkosseff
https://twitter.com/jkosseff​

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Related Links & Differing views:

The Origins and Original Intent of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act [University of Richmond]
https://jolt.richmond.edu/2020/08/27/the-origins-and-original-intent-of-section-230-of-the-communications-decency-act/

The Time Is Now to Rein in Big Tech [Newsweek]
https://www.newsweek.com/time-now-rein-big-tech-opinion-1510343

It’s Time For Conservatives To Take On Big Tech Tyrants. Here’s How [The Federalist]
https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/04/its-time-for-conservatives-to-take-on-big-tech-tyrants-heres-how/

Infographic: Why CDA 230 Is So Important [Electronic Frontier Foundation]
https://www.eff.org/issues/cda230/infographic

Everything You Need to Know About Section 230 [The Verge]
https://www.theverge.com/21273768/section-230-explained-internet-speech-law-definition-guide-free-moderation

Why We Need Section 230 [National Review]
https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2020/06/22/why-we-need-section-230/