GOP steps up attack over tech bias claims

Republicans are coming after Silicon Valley’s legal protections.

A lawsuit from Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and fresh attacks from President Trump are giving momentum to a conservative push to gut the law that gives companies immunity for content posted by their users.

Conservatives see the changes as essential to combating what they say is anti-conservative bias and censorship by the tech industry.

Republicans brought new attention to the controversy this week when Nunes sued Twitter and several of its users for defamation. The lawmaker alleged Twitter users were allowed to insult him online because the company has a left-wing bias.

And Trump on Tuesday promised to look into an aide’s allegation that he was censored by Facebook, accusing social media companies of being “on the side of the Radical Left Democrats.”

Social media platforms have repeatedly denied that they are censoring conservatives and there is little evidence to back up Republicans’ claims of being “shadow banned,” or having their posts hidden from other users.

But the fight over bias is putting a spotlight on a part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, Section 230, which largely gives internet platforms legal immunity over content posted on their sites by third parties.