Steve Case Calls for Section 230 Reform - AOL Founder's View

Steve Case, the individual who established AOL, was present in Dulles, Virginia, located near Washington, D.C., when the Communications Decency Act became law in 1996. This legislation represented a significant revision of the United States’ telecommunications regulations and was signed by President Bill Clinton. Shortly thereafter, a clause within the act – stating that “[n]o provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider” – proved crucial in protecting AOL from legal challenges.

This outcome was not accidental. During a comprehensive conversation earlier today with Case – who has evolved into a prominent investor over the past 15 years through his company Revolution and its various funds focusing on seed, early-stage, and growth-stage investments – he discussed his role in the development of Section 230 and his current belief that it requires modification.

The complete interview with Case is available for your listening convenience here. Presented below is a segment from that discussion concerning the legal safeguards afforded to online platforms, which were a central topic of yesterday’s proceedings or, at the very least, intended to be during the Senate’s recent hearing involving major technology companies.