Sponsors (2)
The bill increases private and criminal accountability for online platforms and could improve moderation and safety, but raises legal risk that is likely to increase costs, reduce free services and competition, burden courts, and encourage over‑censorship.
Internet users gain a stronger ability to sue online platforms for hosted or removed content, increasing civil remedies for victims of harassment, defamation, and similar harms.
Platforms are more likely to invest in content-moderation and safety measures to reduce legal exposure, which could improve online safety and moderation infrastructure.
Law enforcement and federal agencies get clearer statutory definitions by referencing §223(i), helping clarify which services fall under certain criminal prohibitions.
Consumers and small businesses could see reduced access to free services, degraded features, or higher prices as platforms restrict content or raise costs; smaller platforms and startups face disproportionate compliance and legal costs that harm competition and innovation.
Internet users, students, and publishers may face increased over-removal of speech as platforms adopt conservative moderation practices to avoid liability, chilling free expression and public debate.
Taxpayers and ordinary users could face greater burdens on the court system and higher personal legal costs if litigation over online content rises, including being subpoenaed or dragged into suits.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Repeals Section 230 and updates federal statutes to remove/replace references, eliminating the federal immunity for interactive online services.
Official title: To repeal section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 13, 2026 by Jimmy Patronis · Last progress January 13, 2026
Repeals Section 230 of the Communications Act and updates numerous federal statutes and cross-references so that the federal immunity that protected interactive online services from many third-party content claims no longer applies. The bill makes targeted edits across criminal, intellectual property, and other federal statutes to replace or remove references to Section 230 and to align certain definitions with 47 U.S.C. § 223(i), with the changes taking effect on enactment.