A group of Senate Democrats unveiled legislation Friday that would aim to hold tech giants accountable for threatening content online that could prompt violent situations.
The Safe Tech Act, spearheaded by Sens. Mark Warner, Amy Klobuchar, and Mazie Hirono, is one of the first steps taken at the federal level to corral Section 230, a law that’s been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike.
The Democrats’ bill would make it easier for users to sue companies if content posted on their platforms threatens them through harassment, discrimination, or other forms of abuse, according to the Verge.
Under Section 230, tech giants are largely protected from liability over the content posted by their users.
Part of the motivation behind the bill is related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 that resulted in the deaths of five people.
“We need to be asking more from big tech companies, not less,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “How they operate has a real-life effect on the safety and civil rights of Americans and people around the world, as well as our democracy. Holding these platforms accountable for ads and content that can lead to real-world harm is critical, and this legislation will do just that.”
Republicans have also been seeking to reform Section 230, though their reasoning has largely been related to First Amendment issues and accusations that tech companies are purposely censoring right-leaning voices.
Former President Donald Trump, who was critical of the law, attempted to roll back Section 230, issuing an executive order that would allow federal regulators to take punitive action against social media giants on the way they regulate content.
Tech companies have been cracking down on monitoring content after the Jan. 6 riot, when Twitter and Parler were quickly targeted as having roles in extremists planning the scene at the Capitol.
Following the attack, Parler was forced offline for weeks and Twitter purged tens of thousands of accounts linked to the conspiracy group QAnon and banned Trump.
