A provision in federal law enacted early in the internet era has drawn bipartisan calls to reform or end it. Now a tech-related dust-up that conservatives call censorship may test if the idea still has cross-aisle appeal.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 provides legal protection for “interactive computer services,” such as Facebook and Twitter, to host content on their platforms that is violent, harassing, “or otherwise objectionable.”