Could a change in a US communications law break the Internet?

On Wednesday March 8 at 19:30 GMT:
In February, the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments in cases that some say have the power to revolutionize the modern Internet.

in the focus of Gonzalez vs. Google and a related case, Twitter v Taamneh, is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which provides Internet companies with a legal liability shield against lawsuits arising from content posted by users. The González case questions whether the algorithm designed by YouTube and its parent company Google should be responsible for recommending ISIL recruitment videos to its users, while the Taamneh case examines whether Twitter is responsible for aiding and abetting “international terrorism” by allowing ISIL content on your site.

The debate over the cases comes as tech corporations face increasing scrutiny and pressure to hold them accountable for hosting harmful or offensive content on their platforms. However, those who defend Section 230, including open internet advocates and rights groups like the ACLUthey believe that a broad interpretation of the law is integral to free speech online and the very existence of social media.

In this episode of The Stream, we’ll take a look at the Section 230 debate and how its future could affect the Internet as we know it.

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to:
Julia Owono, @JulieOwono
Executive Director, Internet Sans Frontieres

megan iorio, @EPICprivacy
Senior Attorney, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Mukund Rathi, @EFF
Legal Member, Electronic Frontier Foundation