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In a markup hearing on Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a controversial new bill targeting Section 230 protections for content involving online sexual exploitation. In a majority vote, the EARN IT Act was favorably referred for a floor vote, despite vigorous objections from human rights and privacy groups.
Among other provisions, the bill would strip companies of immunity for the knowing transmission of child sexual abuse imagery (CSAM) on their platforms. Currently, companies are protected from civil cases by Section 230.
“It’s turning social media companies into an arm of the government”
Human rights groups have compared the bill to FOSTA — an anti-sex trafficking bill passed into law in 2018 — saying EARN IT will…
