Imagine it is 1996. You log on to your desktop computer (which took several minutes to start up), listening to the rhythmic screech and hiss of the modem connecting you to the World Wide Web. You navigate to a clunky message board—like AOL or Prodigy—to discuss your favorite hobbies, from Beanie Babies to the newest mixtapes.
At the time, a little-known law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act had just been passed. The law—then just a 26-word document—created the modern internet. It was intended to protect “good Samaritans” who moderate websites from regulation, placing the responsibility for content on individual users rather than the host company.
