Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced a new bill to repeal and replace Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act with a more pro-free speech piece of legislation, along with inviting new Twitter owner Elon Musk to a round-table with censored individuals including Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos.
Entitled the 21st Century FREE Speech Act, the new bill would replace Section 230, which currently ensures that online “platforms” cannot be held liable for what users on their sites post, as opposed to “publishers,” who can have total editorial control but no liability protections.
The new bill, which is set to be the House alternative to a Senate bill introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, would give Americans the right to “reasonable, non-discriminatory access to online communications platforms” via a “common carrier” framework, such that currently exists with airlines, package services, or telephones.
Given that Big Tech platforms like Twitter have repeatedly censored the opinions of prominent conservatives, such as President Trump and Representative Greene herself, the new bill would stop these online platforms from exerting “undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, class of persons, political or religious group or affiliation, or locality.”
Anyone who feels that they have had these rights violated by the Big Tech platforms would be able to sue under this new legislation. Violent, unlawful, or “harassing” content would still be allowed to be moderated, but moderation policies must be fully disclosed to users.
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ON SECTION 230 https://t.co/rx7SDCNnJh
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 28, 2022
It would allow providers to restrict access to lewd and obscene material like pornography, excessively violent content, harassing content and unlawful content. Companies would be required to disclose their content moderation policies to users.
The bill comes as Elon Musk and Twitter agreed to the purchase of the platform by the African American billionaire, in a move that Musk argues was done to ensure the protection of free speech and democracy online. Representative Greene said that she was “cautiously optimistic” of the purchase.
“If Elon Musk actually does what he’s setting out to do, this actually will protect him,” Greene told The Hill. “It’ll stop any type of overarching intervention that will force him to limit people’s free speech, whether it’s the Biden administration or some other bill that becomes law.”
In a press conference announcing the legislation, Representative Greene invited to Musk to talk with him at the Capitol on the top of free speech online. “I’d be happy to put together a round-table of all the most brilliant people who have been unjustly banned from Twitter, and he can see for himself the urgent necessity of doing right by them,” Greene said.
The Representative from Georgia said that she would love to invite radio host Alex Jones, along with free speech advocate Milo Yiannopoulos, to the round-table with Musk, both of whom were permanently banned from Twitter. “We’ll put together a great list of people who have been just almost deleted from public life due to this type of censorship, and I think Elon Musk will enjoy talking with them,” she said.
Who would Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) invite to her Twitter roundtable with Elon Musk?
• Milo Yiannopoulos
• Alex Jones
• "People who have been just almost deleted from public life" pic.twitter.com/BbakdENRJK— The Recount (@therecount) April 28, 2022
