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US President Joe Biden has reversed a decree by his predecessor
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Samuel Corum / POOL / EPA
US President Joe Biden has reversed a decree with which his predecessor Donald Trump wanted to restrict the scope of online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook when taking action against user contributions. With the move in May last year, Trump reacted to Twitter starting to mark his tweets with warning notices. At that time, he ordered the implementation of a rule that is considered the cornerstone for dealing with user contributions to be reorganized.
The so-called »Section 230« provides, among other things, that online platforms cannot be prosecuted for contributions by their users. At the same time, however, they are obliged to intervene in the event of illegal contributions as soon as they become aware of them. They are also given the freedom to take action against individual content and users in accordance with their own rules. The »Section 230« is therefore the legal basis that has made many services - such as Twitter, Facebook or YouTube - possible in their current form.
The trigger for Trump's attack on the online platforms was the fact check of a tweet in which he claimed that postal voting increased the risk of counterfeiting.
This unsubstantiated claim later became the basis of his attempt to question the defeat in the presidential election in November 2020.
Biden withdrew the Trump decree of May 28, 2020 over the weekend without comment.
Trump's government later accused Facebook and Google of unfair competition in lawsuits.
What will become of this approach is still unclear, as many politicians from Biden's Democrats also believe that the Internet giants have too much economic power.
mjm / dpa
