Donald Trump's decision to go after Big Tech by making the eradication of Section 230 a condition for approving a major Congressional defence bill may be part of some broader strategy, believe US observers, explaining why the president has resorted to the unusual option.
On 2 and 3 December, President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to veto this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a key annual legislation that covers US military spending, unless American lawmakers strip Big Tech of immunity from liability provided by Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA). He also lashed out on Twitter at “certain” Republican senators for “getting cold feet” about revoking Section 230.
Silicon Valley giants have repeatedly prompted ire on both sides of the US political spectrum with the GOP accusing them of banning and editorialising the conservatives, and the Dems blasting them for not doing enough to stamp “hate speech” out on their platforms. In early September, three Republican senators introduced the Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act, seeking to modify the federal law in a bid to set certain conditions under which the Big Tech could still enjoy the protection.
Why Did Trump Tie the Section 230 Immunity Shield to the NDAA Bill?
Facebook and Twitter's labelling and tagging the president's tweets about suspected voter fraud during the 2020 election have apparently become the last straw for Trump, who resorted to attacking the defence spending…
