Online speech shield under fire as Trump Facebook ban stays

Section 230 of the law, which outlines the shield, was enacted when many of the most powerful social media companies didn't even exist. It allowed companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to grow into the behemoths they are today.

Lurking beneath on whether to continue Donald Trump's suspension from its platform is a far more complex and consequential question: Do the protections carved out for companies when the Internet was in its infancy 25 years ago make sense when some of them have become global powerhouses with almost unlimited reach? The companies have provided a powerful megaphone for Mr. Trump, other world leaders and billions of users to air their grievances, even ones that are false or damaging to someone's reputation, knowing that the platforms themselves were shielded from liability for content posted by users. Now that shield is getting a critical look in the current climate of hostility toward Big Tech and the social environment of political polarization, hate speech and violence against minorities.