H.R. 10332: Sunset Section 230 Act

This bill would repeal

Section 230

of the Communications Act, a law that currently gives online platforms and websites broad legal protection from being held responsible for content posted by users. In plain terms, it would remove a major liability shield for internet companies such as social media sites, forums, review platforms, and other services that host user-generated content.

The bill also makes a series of related technical changes to other federal laws so they no longer refer to Section 230. These include amendments to laws involving:

• obscenity and harmful content rules in the Communications Act,
• trademark definitions involving the Internet,
• copyright law,
• criminal laws related to obscene material and certain online conduct,
• drug and alcohol-related laws that currently reference Section 230,
• state court defamation-related provisions, and
• judicial privacy protections and other federal statutes that cite Section 230.

In addition, the bill would change the legal definition of an “interactive computer service” in the Communications Act by replacing the current Section 230-based definition with a new one tied to Section 223 of the same Act. It would also remove a few specific references to Section 230 from other statutes and substitute references to Section 223 instead.

The bill does not replace Section 230 with a new, equally broad protection. Instead, it removes the provision and leaves online services more exposed to lawsuits and other legal claims based on user-posted content. The bill says the changes would take effect two years after enactment, giving time for the new rules to begin later.

Relevant Companies

• GOOGL / GOOG — Google’s services, including YouTube and other user-generated content products, could face increased exposure to legal claims tied to user-posted material.
• META — Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, host large amounts of user content and could be more exposed to moderation-related lawsuits.
• PINS — Pinterest hosts user-posted content and could face greater legal risk over material shared by users.
• REDD — Reddit relies heavily on user-generated posts and comments, so the repeal could affect its liability exposure.
• UBER — Uber’s review and feedback systems could be more exposed to claims involving user content, though the effect would likely be narrower than for social media firms.
• EBAY — eBay and similar marketplaces host user listings and reviews, which could become more legally sensitive if Section 230 is repealed.
• ETSY — Etsy hosts seller-posted listings and user content, which could increase moderation and liability concerns.