1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any legislation that would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. I understand that Senators Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham are working on bipartisan legislation to force Section 230 to expire on January 1, 2027, and I believe this approach is deeply misguided. Section 230 has protected free speech online for decades by preventing platforms from being held legally responsible for user-generated content. Without these protections, the online spaces that millions of Americans rely on daily would be at serious risk. This includes forums like Discord and Reddit, user comment sections on news websites and blogs, product reviews on business pages, and social media platforms where people connect and share information. The sponsors of this repeal suggest that setting a deadline will pressure Big Tech companies to propose alternative legislation. However, there is currently no bipartisan understanding or agreement on how to protect civil liberties without Section 230. Moving forward with a repeal before establishing workable alternatives puts the cart before the horse and threatens the foundation of a free and open internet. I am particularly concerned that this repeal would disproportionately harm everyday people and smaller platforms. Big Tech companies have the financial resources to absorb increased litigation costs, but new and small-to-medium sized platforms do not. The result would be consolidation of power among the largest corporations while everyday people engaging in online community spaces face silencing, and innovative startups face failure before they can even get off the ground. Section 230 is foundational to internet freedom. I strongly urge you to oppose any attempt to repeal this critical protection and to advocate for thoughtful reform only after viable alternatives that protect civil liberties have been developed and agreed upon through genuine bipartisan consensus.