Please sign a petition to the United States Congress to amend Sec 230 of the Communication Decency Act.
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-us-senate-amend-communications-decency-act-section-230
This will protect Americans from cyber bullies and Internet defamation mongers who profit from criminal libel.
Communications Decency Act Section 230 legalizes Internet Crime
A loophole in Communications Decency Act Section 230 allows criminal defamation to thrive on the Internet. Many website operators encourage, and sometimes manipulate the publishing of such malicious defamation, as it may result in significant revenue for the website operator. Website operators such as Yelp.com indirectly manipulate the content on their review website by disabling positive reviews while leaving defamatory reviews intact. The RipOffReport is alleged to perform more direct manipulation by editing defamatory content headlines to solicit better search engine placement. This freedom to commit criminal activity is a threat to the basic rights of all Americans. Defamatory websites are claimed to have been responsible for destroying the careers of reputable school teachers, forcing companies in good standing out of business, and inducing healthy children to suicide.
To protect the people of the United States from Cyber bullies and criminal defamation, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act must be amended to define the rights of victims of malicious defamation on the Internet. The legislation should declare that, upon a victim’s request, if an Internet posting is clearly malicious, the website operator must remove the post, or be liable under the criminal libel laws of the state with jurisdiction.
The same civil protections that apply to newspaper, radio and TV should also apply to the Internet. In some states, criminal libel is a felony carrying up to 18 months in prison and a fine up to $100,000 for the first offense. These laws also state that the owner or editor of the publishing company (newspaper, radio, tv) is also liable.
However, the United States Communications Decency Act Section 230 dismisses the owner or editor from liability for third party authored defamation that is published on a website. Section 230 was not intended to legalize such criminal activities when it was adopted in 1996. It’s purpose was to nuture the growth of the Internet by providing legal exemptions. However, fifteen years after the fact, the Internet has become the dominant communication resource. The protections provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act are not only antiquated and obsolete, but in contrary, they provide immunity to criminal enterprises who profit from committing illegal activities on the Internet in regards to libel and defamation.
To compare the United States Internet defamation laws to the rest of the civilized world, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, New Zealand, and Australia all have Internet publishing laws making the ‘website operater’ liable for defamatory content regardless of their ‘awareness’ of the content. The European Union, in the least, makes the ‘website operator’ liable for removing defamatory content when notified.
Any reputable American can become a victim of Internet defamation, the results of which often destroy that American’s reputation, career, and life. Please sign a petition to the United States Congress to amend Sec 230 of the Communication Decency Act.
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-us-senate-amend-communications-decency-act-section-230
Amending the Communication Decency Act Section 230 will protect Americans from cyber bullies and Internet defamation mongers who illicitly profit from criminal libel on the Internet.
