Most people have complaints about the internet, and specifically social media. They fear that social media companies are censoring people with their views, or on the other hand, not censoring dangerous views enough. And both views have latched on to one law as the solution to their social media woes, Section 230.

Dr. Jennifer Thompson talked with Shoshana Weissmann, senior manager of digital communications and policy fellow at R Street about what Section 230 is and if getting rid of it is helpful or hurtful to an internet where discourse can flourish. She shares her experience as a policy advocate and also how she uses the internet for her health and hobbies and what Section 230 means to everyday users of the internet.

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Show Notes:

Jeff Kosseff on Twitter

Stratton Oakmont, Inc v. Prodigy Services Co.

Section 230

R Street

Some of Shoshana’s recent pieces on Section 230:

The Repeal of Section 230 Has Broad Ramifications Beyond Big Tech, Washington Examiner

Jeffrey Toobin Should be Liable for His Big Reveal, Not Zoom, Washington Examiner

Lindsey Graham Pushing ‘Child Welfare’ Bill that Would Destroy Free Speech Online, R Street

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About our guest:

Shoshana Weissmann manages R Street’s social media, email marketing and other digital assets. She also works on occupational licensing reform, social media regulatory policy, Section 230 and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Shoshana most recently managed digital communications for Opportunity Lives, a group that highlighted positive stories and policy solutions. Before that, she managed social media and wrote for The Weekly Standard. Earlier in her career, she managed digital communications for the America Rising PAC, where her strategy was highlighted in a piece that appeared in The New York Times.

She is on the board of The Conservation Coalition and a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project’s state and local working group.She lives in Washington, D.C. and has a stuffed sloth named James Madisloth, and she enjoys the Snapchat hot dog.