Senator Mark Warner introduced a new bill that will assist to take legal action against social media platforms. As the popularity of social media platforms has touched the apex, harmful content and extremist groups are making it a weapon. Social media is being exploited to spread violence and hate speech.
The newly introduced Democratic bill would bring the “SAFE TECH Act” to have better control over social media platforms.
Mark Warner Explains The New Bill
The “SAFE TECH Act” will allow one to take immediate steps against social media platforms that have potentially harmful or abusive content. The act will also make the platforms more aware of the contents and push them to tighten up their content moderation policies.
The act is led by senator Mark Warner, D-Va. along with the support of senators Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Warner was previously a telecommunications executive. He is now the chairperson of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The bill, if granted as a law, will bring the ruling social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter under a broader legal subjection. It will also possess control over e-commerce websites like Etsy and Amazon.
The bill may lead to the reformation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. There have been multiple efforts to reform Section 230 which gives a great liability immunity to the technical platforms. But if the new bill succeeds to be a law, it will curb the immunity from social media platforms.
Meanwhile, Evan Greer, the director of the Fight for the Future group stated that it would promote the monopoly force of tech giants like Google and Facebook while the smaller sites will suffer.
Mark Warner stated that the act will be possible only if it gets bipartisan support. He also added that he is quite hopeful to obtain the support of his Republican friends.
