Senate Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on PACT Act, Section 230

Senate Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on PACT Act, Section 230

WASHINGTON — This morning, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet held a lengthy hearing on Section 230, assessing the impact of what the committee calls “the law that helped create the internet” and examining proposed reforms to it, particularly the PACT Act.

The hearing began at 7 a.m. (PDT) and continued for almost three hours, chaired by Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota). Many of the senators and witnesses participated via videoconference due to COVID-19 Senate regulations.

The purpose of the hearing was to "examine the important role of Section 230 in promoting and disseminating speech online, and the history, evolution and expansion of Section 230’s protections for online platforms."

It also aimed to “provide an opportunity to discuss ways to ensure platforms are accountable for their content moderation practices and what legislative measures, from transparency to accountability tools, can empower consumers online.”

The experts who were called as witnesses by the Subcommittee included Olivier Sylvain, Professor of Law at Fordham University; Jeff Kosseff, Assistant Professor at the United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department; and Elizabeth Banker, Deputy General Counsel of the Internet Association.

But the star witness was former Orange County Representative Christopher Cox, who was the main author of Section 230 in the mid-1990s. Cox is currently the director of trade association NetChoice.

Cox patiently answered a variety of questions posed by the senators concerning the original purpose and intent behind Section 230. The senators asked about a host of different matters, depending on their particular interests, related to Section 230 and platform liability.

Several GOP senators used the hearing to criticize what they called social media platforms’ “viewpoint censorship” of political opinions.

FOSTA-SESTA was also mentioned as the precedent for bipartisan legislation that had stripped liability protections from platforms in cases of human trafficking. The prosecution of the former owners of Backpage.com — deeply related to the FOSTA-SESTA debate, although predating its signing by a few days — was invoked as an example of judicial confusion around Section 230.

The PACT Act is one of several projects that aim to reform the liability protections of Section 230.

Although there were important disagreements about whether targeting Section 230 was the best way to update the law for the current state of the internet and, as Senator Thune put it, “novel situations where we would like to see justice served,” a consensus between the senators and the witnesses was that the continuing evolution of the internet, AI and algorithms deserves "continued discussion."

This PACT Act hearing also presented a clear, sobering counterpoint to the recent Judiciary Committee hearing chaired by Lindsey Graham to rally support of his EARN IT Act, which would impose onerous compliance regulations on online companies and establish a committee appointed by Attorney General William Barr to police online content.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

Show More