Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (10)
- Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-Colorado-4]
- Rep. Collins, Mike [R-Georgia-10]
- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-Wyoming]
- Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-Illinois-15]
- Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-Texas-22]
- Rep. Norman, Ralph [R-South Carolina-5]
- Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-Wisconsin-7]
- Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-Arizona-5]
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-Utah-4]
- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-Florida-17]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change part of federal law that protects online platforms, like social media sites, from being sued over content they remove or block. It would narrow those protections so platforms could still take action against unlawful material, but would no longer have broad legal cover for removing other kinds of content they consider offensive or objectionable. It would also keep protection for tools that let users choose to limit what they see. Supporters say this would reduce censorship online, while critics may see it as limiting how websites manage content.
- It changes a part of the Communications Act that gives websites legal protection when they moderate user content.
- Current law protects actions taken against content a provider considers obscene, violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable; this bill would replace that with a narrower rule focused on unlawful material.
- It would still protect platforms that give users the ability to block or restrict access to other kinds of material.
- The bill is introduced as the “Stop the Censorship Act.”
Official Summaries
Stop the Censorship Act
This bill limits the federal liability protection afforded to providers and users of interactive computer services (e.g., social media companies) for their efforts to screen and block objectionable content. This liability protection is often referred to as Section 230 protection.
Specifically, the bill eliminates the existing liability protection for providers and users that take voluntary, good faith action to screen and block material they deem obscene, lewd, lascivious, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable (or that make available the technical means to screen and block such content).
The bill instead provides liability protection to providers and users (1) that take voluntary, good faith action to screen and block unlawful material (or that make available the technical means to do so), or (2) that provide users with the option to screen or block any other material.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 908 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 908
To amend section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (commonly
referred to as the Communications Decency Act) to stop censorship, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 4, 2025
Mr. Gosar (for himself, Ms. Boebert, Mr. Collins, Ms. Hageman, Mrs.
Miller of Illinois, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Norman, Mr. Tiffany, and Mr. Biggs
of Arizona) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (commonly
referred to as the Communications Decency Act) to stop censorship, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stop the Censorship Act''.
SEC. 2. REVOCATION OF IMMUNITIES.
Section 230(c) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230(c))
is amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``and Screening of
Offensive Material'' and inserting ``of Unlawful or
Objectionable Material''; and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``material that the
provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd,
lascivious, filthy, excessively violent,
harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether
or not such material is constitutionally
protected'' and inserting ``unlawful
material''; and
(ii) by striking ``; or'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``paragraph
(1).'' and inserting ``subparagraph (A); or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(C) any action taken to provide users with the
option to restrict access to any other material,
whether or not such material is constitutionally
protected.''.
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