{"id":77594,"date":"2026-02-05T15:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/889723308"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:50:12","slug":"actor-joseph-gordon-levitt-joins-senators-push-to-repeal-section-230-the-big-tech-shield-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/actor-joseph-gordon-levitt-joins-senators-push-to-repeal-section-230-the-big-tech-shield-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins senators’ push to repeal Section 230, the Big Tech shield law"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt<\/a> says he has a \u201ccertain kind of love for the internet,\u201d but his love does not extend to \u201camoral\u201d social media companies that put profits over the well-being of their users.<\/p>\n

Mr. Gordon-Levitt<\/a>, known for his roles in movies such as 500 Days of Summer, Inception, and Snowden, spoke on Capitol Hill Wednesday in support of legislation to repeal an internet shield law known as Section 230 that was signed into law 30 years ago this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, message boards and other websites with user-generated content, they really were like telephone carriers. They were neutral platforms,\u201d he said. \u201cToday the internet is dominated by a small handful of these gigantic businesses that are not at all neutral, but instead algorithmically amplify whatever gets the most attention and maximizes ad revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sens. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, introduced the legislation that would sunset Section 230 in two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the extent that this protection was ever needed, its usefulness has long since passed,\u201d Mr. Durbin said.<\/p>\n

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was enacted as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Lawmakers at the time were trying to break up telecommunications monopolies and create a regulatory safe environment for the internet to grow.<\/p>\n

Former Rep. Dick Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat who was House minority leader at the time the law was enacted, said he supported Section 230 at the time as tech companies warned that America would never have an internet economy if they were not protected from liability for content they hosted.<\/p>\n