|
"If
the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely
terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),
I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the
very beautiful Resolute desk," Trump tweeted late on Tuesday.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects tech
companies from liability over content posted by users, and has
been under attack from Trump and Republican lawmakers, who have
criticized internet platforms' content moderation decisions
accused them of stifling conservative voices.
The Internet Association, which includes Facebook, Amazon.com
Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter, blasted Trump.
"Repealing Section 230 is itself a threat to national security.
The law empowers online platforms to remove harmful and
dangerous content, including terrorist content and
misinformation," the group said.
The sweeping NDAA sets policy for the Department of Defense. It
has been passed annually for six decades, one of the few major
pieces of legislation seen as a "must-pass" because it governs
everything from pay raises for the troops to how many aircraft
should be purchased or how best to compete with rivals like
Russia and China.
Congressional aides expressed skepticism Trump would actually
veto the legislation. Democrats won't agree to repealing 230
because the 24-year-old law provides a vital protection to
social media companies.
The aides suggested Trump's threat was part of an effort to
force revisions to Section 230 and include them in the defense
bill.
This year, the Democrat-led House and Republican-controlled
Senate passed versions of the bill. It is in conference, where
lawmakers come up with a compromise final version.
Trump has pulled back from threats to derail legislation in the
past. Early last year, Trump agreed under mounting pressure to
end a 35-day-old partial U.S. government shutdown without
getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress for a
border wall, handing a political victory to Democrats.
(Reporting by Eric Beech,Nandita Bose, David Shepardson, Alex
Alper and Mike Stone; Editing by Sandra Maler, Christian
Schmollinger and Gerry Doyle)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
