The following statement is attributed to Kate Tummarello, Executive Director of Engine, on the submission of the small platform and creator briefs in Gonzales v. Google.
Statement
"Section 230 has led to so much of the creativity and innovation on the Internet today. While it's easy to focus on how the law impacts large companies, every startup that hosts user content and every creator and digital entrepreneur that uses the Internet to share content and build an audience needs Section 230. Their perspectives should be front and center for policymakers and the court as it considers this case."
Background
The Supreme Court is considering Gonzalez v. Google, a case about whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—which protects Internet platforms of all types and sizes from being held liable for the content their users share—applies when platforms host and recommend user content.
Engine filed a brief (with M. Chris Riley and Floor64) explaining that Section 230 enables small platforms to host user content without fear of ruinous litigation costs. Startups already spend a disproportionate amount of their limited time and resources on content moderation in their pursuit of creating a safe and relevant place online for their users. Similarly, they would be disproportionately harmed if anyone could bring—or even threaten—a lawsuit over a user’s content.
Creators also benefit from Section 230 and how it has enabled platforms to host and recommend user content. As 18 Internet creators and the Authors Alliance (which works with authors who want to share their creations broadly) explain in the brief that Engine’s Digital Entrepreneur Project helped organize, the framework created by Section 230 allows anyone to build a business and grow an audience online. Engine launched the Digital Entrepreneur Project in 2021 to tell the stories of creators, sellers, storytellers, and more, who would be impacted by Internet policy changes.
