Trump Once Again Threatens to Veto Defense Bill If It Doesn’t Include Elimination of Section 230

President Donald Trump threatened to veto a national defense bill if it doesn’t include legislation to terminate Section 230 of the Communications Act, which protects internet providers and tech companies from liability for content posted on their platforms. 

“I hope Houe Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO,” the president wrote. He demanded that the bill include termination of Section 230 on the basis that it threatens national security. The president added that the legislation should also include language to preserve national monuments, authorize the deployment of next-generation 5G networks and infrastructure, and the reduction of American troops in foreign countries.

Earlier this week, the president said eliminating Section 230 is “a National Security and Election Integrity MUST.”

Critics have noted that repealing it would allow the president to go after his political opponents and anyone who has spoken out against him.

Eliminating Section 230 would also change communication on the internet as we know it, according to free speech advocates. Without Section 230, tech companies would have to police the information on their platforms or abandon user-generated content altogether. Section 230’s “Good Samaritan” protections allow the removal of obscene or offensive speech, which, as the Brookings Institution observes, “provides the primary legal basis for today’s content-moderation regimes.”

Alan Ryland

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.