By Canadian Press

Easing liability rules for Twitter, Facebook could backfire on U.S.: Geist

May 28, 2020 | 9:12 AM

WASHINGTON — Experts say President Donald Trump’s bid to defend free expression on the Internet could end up having the opposite effect — and even put the United States offside in its new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

Trump is expected to sign an executive order authorizing a review of U.S. law known as Section 230, which protects online platforms like Twitter and Facebook from liability for content posted to their sites.

The move is in direct response to Twitter’s decision to flag two of Trump’s recent tweets about mail-in ballots, adding fact-check links that debunked the president’s claims.

The language of Section 230 happens to be part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, extending across North America the legal protections social media platforms already enjoy under American law.

Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in internet and e-commerce issues, says any changes to Section 230 could put the U.S. in violation of the agreement.

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And he says since platforms are more inclined to remove content rather than engage in legal disputes, he fears such amendments would end up constraining free speech on the internet, rather than protecting it.    

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2020.

The Canadian Press