ACLU Defends First Amendment in Reaction to Biden Section 230 Review

The federal government can’t force companies to “censor or publish speech to comport with its view of the truth,” American Civil Liberties Union Senior Legislative Counsel Kate Ruane in an emailed statement Tuesday. She made the comment in reaction to the Biden administration’s announcement that it’s reviewing Communications Decency Act Section 230 and social media company accountability for misinformation. The government can’t “be trusted to label ‘truth’ or ‘fiction’ any more than Facebook or Twitter,” said Ruane. “The First Amendment protects people -- and social media companies -- from legal risk for misinformation, but also for information that is thought to be false and later turns out to be true. That’s essential.”