The political reality is also that progressives and conservatives largely agree that social media companies are too powerful and are doing too little to control harmful and illegal online content. They also share the belief that a new regulatory regime is needed to remedy these problems.
Congressional leaders should seek a consensus on the shape of this new regulatory regime, and they should maintain Section 230 in place for its preemptive effect until they are ready to replace it with a uniform national policy. It is now a bipartisan policy goal to create a national regulatory structure to protect users and the public from abuse by the powerful social media companies that have become such a central part of the nation’s public life.