From Liability to Accountability: The Ethics of Citing Section 230 to Avoid the Obligations of Running a Social Media Platform

Abstract

In the United States, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides immunity from liability for Internet operators who host information submitted by their users. This article will argue that Section 230 allows firms to avoid accountability for the malfeasance that their platforms have enabled. With a focus on the ethical differences between liability (a legal concept) and accountability (an ethical concept), the article will recommend ways to compel today's social media platforms to address their responsibilities toward the proliferating misbehavior that they have enabled.