Matthew Perault: The Law Behind Free Speech and Censorship on Social Media

On January 8, 2021, two days after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Twitter permanently suspended President Donald Trump’s account on the platform. Though responses to the ban split along partisan lines, Trump’s suspension from Twitter has deep roots in a piece of legislation that draws criticism from across the political aisle: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants tech platforms immunity from liability for the speech of their users.

In this episode of Deciding Factors, Matthew Perault, Director of the Center of Science & Technology Policy at Duke University and former Director of Public Policy at Facebook, discusses Section 230’s legal context, wide-ranging impact, and political stakes. He explores why, 25 years after Section 230’s passage, the provision is in the spotlight – and how it can be made to better reflect today’s online world.