United States of America: Protect Speech Act introduced in House

On 11 June 2021, House Bill H.R. 3827, the Protect Speech Act, is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The draft bill envisages an amendment of section 230(c) of the Communications Act, which provides immunity for providers of "interactive computer services" in relation to third-party content, as well as for protection from civil liability for removal of third-party deemed offensive or otherwise harmful by the provider. While retaining the general scheme of section 230, the draft bill would introduce a standard of objective good faith that providers have to meet when removing material they deem either offensive, harmful or content violating their terms of service. This involves publication and application of the criteria used by the provider in its content moderation.