Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet

Jeff Kosseff

Description

As seen on CBS 60 Minutes"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."Did you know that these twenty-six words are responsible for much of America's multibillion-dollar online industry? What we can and cannot write, say, and do online is based on just one law-a law that protects online services from lawsuits based on user content. Jeff Kosseff exposes the workings of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which has lived mostly in the shadows since its enshrinement in 1996. Because many segments of American society now exist largely online, Kosseff argues that we need to understand and pay attention to what Section 230 really means and how it affects what we like, share, and comment upon every day.The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet tells the story of the institutions that flourished as a result of this powerful statute. It introduces us to those who created the law, those who advocated for it, and those involved in some of the most prominent cases decided under the law. Kosseff assesses the law that has facilitated freedom of online speech, trolling, and much more. His keen eye for the law, combined with his background as an award-winning journalist, demystifies a statute that affects all our lives -for good and for ill. While Section 230 may be imperfect and in need of refinement, Kosseff maintains that it is necessary to foster free speech and innovation. For filings from many of the cases discussed in the book and updates about Section 230, visit jeffkosseff.com

Sujets

• Droit et juridique
• USA
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501735783
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The TwentySix Words That Created the Internet

The TwentySix Words That Created the Internet

Jeff Kosseff

Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2019 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. Visit our website at cornellpress.cornell.edu.

First published 2019 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Names: Kosseff, Jeff, 1978– author. Title: The twentysix words that created the Internet / Jeff Kosseff. Other titles: 26 words that created the Internet Description: Ithaca [New York] : Cornell University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018042989 (print) | LCCN 2018044648 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501735783 (pdf) | ISBN 9781501735790 (epub/mobi) | ISBN 9781501714412 | ISBN 9781501714412 (cloth: alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Internet—Law and legislation—United States. | Web sites—Law and legislation—United States. | Liability (Law)— United States. | Freedom of speech—United States. | United States. Communications Decency Act of 1996. Classification: LCC KF390.5.C6 (ebook) | LCC KF390.5.C6 K67 2019 (print) | DDC 343.7309/99—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018042989

Cover design by Henry Sene Yee

This book is dedicated to Judges Leonie M. Brinkema and Milan D. Smith Jr. Working for them was the greatest privilege of my career, and they taught me how to love the law, even if I didn’t always agree with it.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Contents

Part I. The Creation of Section 230

 1. Eleazar Smith’s Bookstore

 2. The Prodigy Exception

 3. Chris and Ron Do Lunch

Part II. The Rise of Section 230

 4. Ask for Ken

 5. Himmler’s Granddaughter and the Bajoran Dabo Girl

 6. The Flower Child and a TrillionDollar Industry

 7. American Exceptionalism

ix

1

9

11

36

57

77

79

103

120

145

vi i i Contents

Part III. The Gradual Erosion of Section 230

 8. A Lawless NoMan’s Land?

 9. Hacking 230

Part IV. The Future of Section 230

10. Sarah versus the Dirty Army

11. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

12. Moderation Inc.

13. Exceptional Exceptions

Conclusion

Notes

Index

165

167

190

207

209

228

239

252

273

281

307

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the many lawyers, litigants, scholars, and others who spoke with me for this book. It was particularly difficult to track down documents and information from many cases in the 1990s and early 2000s, and I greatly appreciate all who helped me as I researched and wrote the book, providing me with old case files and leads and serving as sounding boards for my many thoughts and questions about Section 230. Special thanks to Timothy Alger, Jerry Berman, Chris Brancart, Bill Burrington, Bob Butler, Pat Carome, Dani elle Citron, Sophia Cope, Lydia de la Torre, Dennis Devey, Brant Ford, Leo Kayser, Jeannine Kenney, Mary Leary, Alex Levy, Paul Levy, Stephen Rohde, Peter RomerFriedman, Barbara Wall, and Kurt Wimmer. I am particularly grateful to Brian Frye, Mike Godwin, Eric Goldman, Bob Hamilton, and Daphne Keller for their thorough reviews of the man uscript and immensely helpful comments. Thanks to Emily Andrew and her colleagues at Cornell University Press for seeing the potential in a book about twentysix words in an arcane