Social Media Liability and Online Harms

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Lindsey Graham sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanding a February floor vote on legislation to overhaul or repeal Section 230, the liability shield for online platforms. The senators argue that the decades‑old law now blocks victims of serious online harms—ranging from child sexual exploitation and AI deepfake pornography to fentanyl sales and terrorist recruitment—from suing tech companies, and Graham has introduced a bill to fully repeal Section 230 two years after enactment. The lawmakers frame the push as an effort to ‘open up the American courtroom’ and impose long‑absent accountability and regulation on social media and other large tech firms.