Communications Decency Act § 230 (1996)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (47 U.S.C. § 230)

2) Why It Was Done
Enacted as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, § 230 was designed to promote the growth of the internet by shielding online platforms from liability for most user-generated content while allowing them to moderate harmful material in “good faith.”

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before § 230, online platforms risked being treated as publishers and held liable for user posts. This threatened free expression and innovation online. The law built on First Amendment free speech protections but gave platforms explicit legal immunity.

Technology & Privacy – Timeline of Key Acts

As the internet and digital economy emerged, Congress passed laws to define the rights and responsibilities of platforms, users, and regulators. This timeline highlights the most important technology and privacy acts still shaping the online world.

Communications Decency Act § 230 (1996)

• Shields online platforms from liability for most user-generated content.
• Encourages moderation of harmful content in “good faith.”
• Foundation of internet free speech law, though highly controversial today.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA, 1998)

• Restricts websites and online services from collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.
• Enforced by the FTC, still the main children’s privacy law in the U.S.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA, 1998)

• Implemented international copyright treaties and created rules for digital media.
• Established notice-and-takedown system and “safe harbor” for platforms.
• Prohibited circumvention of DRM, fueling right-to-repair debates.

Why It Matters Today

These laws:

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA, 1998)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506)

2) Why It Was Done
With the rise of the internet in the 1990s, Congress passed COPPA to protect children’s personal information online. It restricts websites and online services from collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before COPPA, no federal law specifically regulated the collection of children’s personal information online. COPPA built on consumer protection principles and the right to privacy, placing obligations on businesses rather than children or parents.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA, 1998)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (17 U.S.C. §§ 512, 1201–1332)

2) Why It Was Done
Passed to update U.S. copyright law for the digital age, the DMCA implemented international copyright treaties and created new rules for online service providers, digital media, and technological protections.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
The Copyright Act of 1976 did not address the internet or digital distribution. The DMCA added legal protections for digital rights management (DRM) and clarified liability for online platforms hosting copyrighted material.