ITI supports policies designed to maintain a safe online environment, ensure content moderation practices across platforms are transparent, and ensure appropriate liability protections that are foundational to the success of the digital economy, including Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in the U.S.
ITI recognizes the shared responsibility of companies and governments to maintain a safe online environment, and we appreciate policymaking efforts to bring transparency to content moderation practices across platforms while ensuring necessary and appropriate liability protections that are foundational to the success of the digital economy.
ITI supports Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which strikes this balance by providing legal protections for a vast array of business models -- including e-commerce, cloud services, search engines, and social media -- allowing users to share information while at the same time providing a strong incentive for companies to take proactive efforts to moderate harmful content, and shielding these companies from liability for content published by others. The protections offered by Section 230 are vital to the continued success of the internet-powered digital economy that benefits all Americans.
In 2023, ITI joined a coalition of tech organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in the Gonzalez v. Google Supreme Court case maintaining that using algorithms to organize third-party content is and should remain protected under Section 230.
ITI also advocates for sound policymaking approaches to content moderation and intermediary liability globally, including our significant work in Europe to positively impact the development of the Digital Services Act.