Everything You Need to Know About Section 230 in 5 Hours: A Five-Day Lunch Series

In the last few years, but especially the last few weeks, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been a frequent topic in the news and political debate. From Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship to Sen. Josh Hawley’s and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden’s recent calls to revoke 230, it is clear that “the law that created the internet” means different things to different people for different reasons.

This series aims to bring much needed clarity to this conversation from the experts who know best precisely what 230 stands for, what it meant, what is means now, and what a world will look like with or without it. The experts in these panels are lawyers and not; have worked inside tech companies and brought litigation against them; fought for reform of 230 and railed against it; are conservative and liberal; from government agencies and activist groups. Their diverse and knowledgeable discussion of these issues aims to serve as a reference point for lawmakers, journalists, agencies, and the public going forward.

Panels will be moderated by Kate Klonick, Assistant Professor of Law at St. John’s University Law School and Affiliate Fellow at the Yale Information Society Project, livestreamed, and recorded for later reference.

Monday June 22, 2020

12-1:30 ET
The History of 230
Jeff Kosseff, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Law at the United States Naval Academy
Eric Goldman, Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law
Mary Anne Franks, Professor of Law at Miami Law School

Tuesday, June 23, 2020
12-1:30 ET
What 230 Meant for Telecom and Agencies
Blake Reid, Clinical Professor at University of Colorado Law School
Olivier Sylvain, Professor of Law at Fordham University Law School
Tejas Narechania, Assistant Professor of Law at Berkeley Law School

 

Wednesday, June 24, 2020
12-1:30 ET
What 230 Meant for Platforms
Alexander MacGillivray, General Counsel at Twitter, 2009-2013
Dave Willner, Head of Content Policy at Facebook 2008-2013
 

Thursday, June 25, 2020
1:00 - 2:30 ET
Why 230 and Why Now?
Carrie Goldberg, attorney and founding partner C.A. Goldberg PLLC
David French, attorney and Senior Editor at The Dispatch
Cathy Gellis, attorney and technology policy outside counsel

Friday, June 26, 2020
12-1:30 ET
Imagining a World Without 230
Cory Doctorow, technologist, activist, journalist, science fiction novelist
Daphne Keller, Director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford's Cyber Policy Center
Kendra Albert, lawyer at Harvard Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic
Lorelei Lee, writer, sex work advocate