{"id":46014,"date":"2025-09-18T07:33:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T11:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/?p=46014"},"modified":"2025-09-16T17:02:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:02:24","slug":"accountability-is-not-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalcontentnext.org\/blog\/2025\/09\/18\/accountability-is-not-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"Accountability is not censorship\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button twitter shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#595959\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F&text=Accountability%20is%20not%20censorship%C2%A0&via=DCNorg\" title=\"Share on X\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#000; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"#000\" d=\"M14.258 10.152L23.176 0h-2.113l-7.747 8.813L7.133 0H0l9.352 13.328L0 23.973h2.113l8.176-9.309 6.531 9.309h7.133zm-2.895 3.293l-.949-1.328L2.875 1.56h3.246l6.086 8.523.945 1.328 7.91 11.078h-3.246zm0 0\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#0077b5; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 27 32\"><path fill=\"#0077b5\" d=\"M6.2 11.2v17.7h-5.9v-17.7h5.9zM6.6 5.7q0 1.3-0.9 2.2t-2.4 0.9h0q-1.5 0-2.4-0.9t-0.9-2.2 0.9-2.2 2.4-0.9 2.4 0.9 0.9 2.2zM27.4 18.7v10.1h-5.9v-9.5q0-1.9-0.7-2.9t-2.3-1.1q-1.1 0-1.9 0.6t-1.2 1.5q-0.2 0.5-0.2 1.4v9.9h-5.9q0-7.1 0-11.6t0-5.3l0-0.9h5.9v2.6h0q0.4-0.6 0.7-1t1-0.9 1.6-0.8 2-0.3q3 0 4.9 2t1.9 6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button mastodon shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#563ACC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s2f.kytta.dev\/?text=Accountability%20is%20not%20censorship%C2%A0 https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F\" title=\"Share on Mastodon\" aria-label=\"Share on Mastodon\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#6364FF; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"75\" height=\"79\" viewBox=\"0 0 75 79\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M37.813-.025C32.462-.058 27.114.13 21.79.598c-8.544.621-17.214 5.58-20.203 13.931C-1.12 23.318.408 32.622.465 41.65c.375 7.316.943 14.78 3.392 21.73 4.365 9.465 14.781 14.537 24.782 15.385 7.64.698 15.761-.213 22.517-4.026a54.1 54.1 0 0 0 .01-6.232c-6.855 1.316-14.101 2.609-21.049 1.074-3.883-.88-6.876-4.237-7.25-8.215-1.53-3.988 3.78-.43 5.584-.883 9.048 1.224 18.282.776 27.303-.462 7.044-.837 14.26-4.788 16.65-11.833 2.263-6.135 1.215-12.79 1.698-19.177.06-3.84.09-7.692-.262-11.52C72.596 7.844 63.223.981 53.834.684a219.453 219.453 0 0 0-16.022-.71zm11.294 12.882c5.5-.067 10.801 4.143 11.67 9.653.338 1.48.471 3 .471 4.515v21.088h-8.357c-.07-7.588.153-15.182-.131-22.765-.587-4.368-7.04-5.747-9.672-2.397-2.422 3.04-1.47 7.155-1.67 10.735v6.392h-8.307c-.146-4.996.359-10.045-.404-15.002-1.108-4.218-7.809-5.565-10.094-1.666-1.685 3.046-.712 6.634-.976 9.936v14.767h-8.354c.109-8.165-.238-16.344.215-24.5.674-5.346 5.095-10.389 10.676-10.627 4.902-.739 10.103 2.038 12.053 6.631.375 1.435 1.76 1.932 1.994.084 1.844-3.704 5.501-6.739 9.785-6.771.367-.044.735-.068 1.101-.073z\"\/><defs><linearGradient id=\"paint0_linear_549_34\" x1=\"37.0692\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"37.0692\" y2=\"79\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#6364FF\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#563ACC\"\/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The recent killing of Charlie Kirk\u2014regardless of one\u2019s political alignment\u2014has intensified national reflection on the state of our political discourse. Violence against anyone for their beliefs is an assault on democratic values. This moment has sparked rare bipartisan calls to reject incendiary rhetoric and recommit to civil engagement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Radicalization in politics is not new. But today, it is amplified, monetized, and normalized through the very platforms where our public discourse now lives. It feels more commonplace today than at any point in American history. That\u2019s not necessarily because it happens more often, but because it\u2019s more visible, more immediate, and more inescapable in an era of social media and live-streamed video and audio. We\u2019re seeing and hearing things we might never have been exposed to in the past.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-algorithmic-amplification-and-indefensible-immunity-nbsp\">Algorithmic amplification and indefensible immunity&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is no accident. Social media algorithms are explicitly designed to maximize user engagement\u2014not accuracy, civility, or truth. The most inflammatory content is rewarded with amplification, regardless of whether it\u2019s true, defamatory, or dangerous. This creates a system where extremism is not just tolerated but incentivized. The result is an environment that\u2019s not just toxic \u2014 it\u2019s legally unaccountable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was originally intended to protect online platforms from liability for user posts. But today, it provides near-total immunity to the largest tech companies\u2014even when their own algorithms actively promote harmful, illegal, or even deadly content.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/search.aspx?filename=\/docket\/docketfiles\/html\/public\/21-1333.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gonzalez v. Google,<\/a> the family of a U.S. citizen killed in a Paris terrorist attack argued that YouTube\u2019s algorithm actively recommended ISIS content. And yet, courts shielded Google from liability under Section 230. When a multibillion-dollar company can engineer its systems in a way that results in the promotion of extremist propaganda and then disclaim all responsibility, we must ask: What is the purpose of a liability shield that protects this behavior?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 230 protections have shielded platforms from accountability even in tragic and preventable cases:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <a href=\"https:\/\/jolt.law.harvard.edu\/digest\/doe-v-myspace-inc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Doe v. MySpace<\/a>, courts dismissed the claims of families whose children were sexually exploited, ruling that platforms aren\u2019t responsible for foreseeable harm arising from user interactions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/23pdf\/23-961_1924.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Doe v. Snap Inc.<\/a>, parents whose children died from fentanyl-laced drugs bought via Snapchat were similarly blocked from pursuing legal remedies\u2014even though Snapchat\u2019s disappearing message design arguably enabled the illegal activity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-consequential-design-decisions-without-legal-consequences-nbsp\">Consequential design decisions without legal consequences&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These are not edge cases. They reveal a systemic failure: social media companies face no consequences for design choices that would be unacceptable for other types of companies. Section 230 has become a legal firewall for product decisions that would not pass muster in any other industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Congress has an urgent responsibility to reform this law. At minimum, companies should be required to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm enabled by their platforms,\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Be transparent about how algorithms influence outcomes,\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Be held liable when platform features contribute to illegal activity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Tech companies argue that any effort to place guardrails on social media amounts to censorship. In reality, they are protecting their bottom line. Reform would threaten the low-cost, high-profit business model that relies on unfettered data extraction and behavioral manipulation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In every other industry, companies are held accountable for the products they design\u2014especially when harm to children is involved.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>News organizations are held to account for what they publish\u2014often in court. Whether it\u2019s a private citizen or a powerful public figure, individuals have legal recourse when they believe they\u2019ve been wronged by the press. Consider the high-profile case of Hulk Hogan, who sued Gawker Media for invasion of privacy and won $140 million in damages\u2014a verdict that ultimately forced the company into bankruptcy. That case underscores a fundamental principle: when media companies cause harm, they can be held liable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other industries, many major companies have been held liable for selling defective or unsafe products that led to the deaths of children, resulting in multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. IKEA settled for $46 million over dressers that tipped over; Fisher-Price paid a $13 million penalty and undisclosed settlement amounts and was forced to recall Rock \u2018n Play sleepers tied to over 100 infant deaths, and; Evenflo is currently facing multiple lawsuits and investigations for marketing \u201csafe\u201d booster seats even though they allegedly had internal data showing a high risk of injury or death.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is outrageous that parents who have lost a child to suicide because of social media algorithms don\u2019t have the same opportunity for justice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering the corrosive impact of online extremism, we must expect more\u2014from platforms, from policymakers, and from ourselves. The best way to restore a healthier political discourse, a safer digital environment\u2014and a safer world\u2014is to make social media companies legally responsible for the products they design and the harm those products cause. This is not a debate about censorship. It\u2019s about accountability. If your business model profits from harvesting Americans\u2019 most personal data, you must also bear responsibility when that model causes real-world harm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button twitter shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#595959\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F&text=Accountability%20is%20not%20censorship%C2%A0&via=DCNorg\" title=\"Share on X\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#000; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"#000\" d=\"M14.258 10.152L23.176 0h-2.113l-7.747 8.813L7.133 0H0l9.352 13.328L0 23.973h2.113l8.176-9.309 6.531 9.309h7.133zm-2.895 3.293l-.949-1.328L2.875 1.56h3.246l6.086 8.523.945 1.328 7.91 11.078h-3.246zm0 0\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#0077b5; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 27 32\"><path fill=\"#0077b5\" d=\"M6.2 11.2v17.7h-5.9v-17.7h5.9zM6.6 5.7q0 1.3-0.9 2.2t-2.4 0.9h0q-1.5 0-2.4-0.9t-0.9-2.2 0.9-2.2 2.4-0.9 2.4 0.9 0.9 2.2zM27.4 18.7v10.1h-5.9v-9.5q0-1.9-0.7-2.9t-2.3-1.1q-1.1 0-1.9 0.6t-1.2 1.5q-0.2 0.5-0.2 1.4v9.9h-5.9q0-7.1 0-11.6t0-5.3l0-0.9h5.9v2.6h0q0.4-0.6 0.7-1t1-0.9 1.6-0.8 2-0.3q3 0 4.9 2t1.9 6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"shariff-button mastodon shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#563ACC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s2f.kytta.dev\/?text=Accountability%20is%20not%20censorship%C2%A0 https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontentnext.org%2Fblog%2F2025%2F09%2F18%2Faccountability-is-not-censorship%2F\" title=\"Share on Mastodon\" aria-label=\"Share on Mastodon\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#6364FF; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"75\" height=\"79\" viewBox=\"0 0 75 79\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M37.813-.025C32.462-.058 27.114.13 21.79.598c-8.544.621-17.214 5.58-20.203 13.931C-1.12 23.318.408 32.622.465 41.65c.375 7.316.943 14.78 3.392 21.73 4.365 9.465 14.781 14.537 24.782 15.385 7.64.698 15.761-.213 22.517-4.026a54.1 54.1 0 0 0 .01-6.232c-6.855 1.316-14.101 2.609-21.049 1.074-3.883-.88-6.876-4.237-7.25-8.215-1.53-3.988 3.78-.43 5.584-.883 9.048 1.224 18.282.776 27.303-.462 7.044-.837 14.26-4.788 16.65-11.833 2.263-6.135 1.215-12.79 1.698-19.177.06-3.84.09-7.692-.262-11.52C72.596 7.844 63.223.981 53.834.684a219.453 219.453 0 0 0-16.022-.71zm11.294 12.882c5.5-.067 10.801 4.143 11.67 9.653.338 1.48.471 3 .471 4.515v21.088h-8.357c-.07-7.588.153-15.182-.131-22.765-.587-4.368-7.04-5.747-9.672-2.397-2.422 3.04-1.47 7.155-1.67 10.735v6.392h-8.307c-.146-4.996.359-10.045-.404-15.002-1.108-4.218-7.809-5.565-10.094-1.666-1.685 3.046-.712 6.634-.976 9.936v14.767h-8.354c.109-8.165-.238-16.344.215-24.5.674-5.346 5.095-10.389 10.676-10.627 4.902-.739 10.103 2.038 12.053 6.631.375 1.435 1.76 1.932 1.994.084 1.844-3.704 5.501-6.739 9.785-6.771.367-.044.735-.068 1.101-.073z\"\/><defs><linearGradient id=\"paint0_linear_549_34\" x1=\"37.0692\" y1=\"0\" x2=\"37.0692\" y2=\"79\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#6364FF\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#563ACC\"\/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent killing of Charlie Kirk\u2014regardless of one\u2019s political alignment\u2014has intensified national reflection on the state of our political discourse. Violence against anyone for their beliefs is an assault on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1753,"featured_media":46016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3041,1702],"tags":[1134,3337,32],"coauthors":[1143],"class_list":["post-46014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-post","category-policy","tag-policy","tag-section-230","tag-social-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Accountability is not censorship\u00a0 - Digital Content Next<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Section 230 reform isn\u2019t about silencing free speech\u2014it\u2019s about ensuring platforms are responsible for the harm 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