Ellysse and Ashley Break the Internet: Series Trailer

What exactly is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and why is a 1996 law so important today? Why have Presidents Biden and Trump both said they want to repeal it? Was it to blame when Twitter and Facebook banned Trump from their platforms, or was it the reason they didn’t ban him sooner?

Join policy analysts from the world’s leading tech policy think tank as they break down one of the most contentious debates about free speech, intermediary liability, and the future of the Internet. Ellysse and Ashley Break the Internet takes a deep dive into the ins and outs of Section 230, providing fresh insights and new perspectives with leading policy experts, advisers, and advocates from across the political spectrum.

This 12-episode series asks what will happen if policymakers keep or repeal the law credited with creating the Internet and explores the opportunities for Congress to make the law even better. 

The first two episodes will drop on Wednesday, February 24. New episodes will follow in pairs every week.

Transcript

Quote: “There’s maybe a high-level agreement among Democrats and Republicans that 230 is some sort of problem, that something should be done, but what should be done? And they pull in different directions.” [Aaron Mackey, Episode 10] 

Ellysse Dick: Content moderation is hard. And it turns out that regulating it is even harder. 

Ashley Johnson: Congress thought it got it right in 1996 with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, but over 25 years later, some policymakers and experts are questioning whether the law that helped the Internet grow has kept up with the rapid changes in how we connect, debate, and do business online. And others are warning that changing the law, or repealing it, could spell disaster for businesses and consumers. 

Quote: “That’s what we’re talking about when we say that something stifles innovation, is it takes resources that could be developing a platform and developing safety tools and it just, you know, sends them to lawyers.” [Jessica Ashooh, Episode 4] 

Ashley Johnson: I’m Ashley Johnson, a policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the top science and technology policy think tank, and I lead our research on online intermediary liability—the laws and regulations that determine who is responsible when someone says something bad on the Internet. 

Ellysse Dick: And I’m Ellysse Dick, a policy analyst at ITIF focusing on Internet policy and emerging communications technologies. Together, we’re breaking—or at least breaking down—the debate on Section 230 and online content moderation with a limited-series podcast. 

Ashley Johnson: Ellysse and Ashley Break the Internet features some of the leading experts in intermediary liability, content moderation, and online free speech. This is a hot topic, so tune out the noise and tune in our show to hear both sides of the debate around Section 230: reasons some people think we should keep it and some people think it should change. 

Quote: “Alright, are we getting lost here? Are we forgetting what this is all about? ‘Cause this all got started because people’s lives are being impacted.” [Andrew Bolson, Episode 11]

Ellysse Dick: Join us every week at ITIF.org/230pod or wherever you get your podcasts.