Civil Society, CTA Continue Push Against Senate Bill to Modify CDA Section 230

Civil society organizations, think tanks and a major tech association pressed Capitol Hill lawmakers Thursday not to move ahead with the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (S-1693), which the groups say will produce an onslaught of "frivolous" lawsuits and discourage intermediaries from policing their sites because the legislation is so broad (see 1708020019 and 1708010011). In a Thursday letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Access Now, R Street Institute, TechFreedom and eight other groups said Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act "need not be treated as sacrosanct" but rushing through amendments such as attaching them to the National Defense Authorization Act "would be a mistake of historic proportions." They said it should go through the committee process and get public input. CTA President Gary Shapiro, in a Wednesday letter to Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., co-chairs of the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking, cited the same reasons for opposing the proposal. He urged Congress to press DOJ to go after "rogue websites" violating the law as the tech industry works to prevent sex trafficking.