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Conference

Section 230 at 30: The Past, Present, and Future of Online Speech and the 26 Words That Created the Internet

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Location
Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
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Featuring
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR)
Ari Cohn -circle-cropped
Ari Cohn

Lead Counsel, Tech Policy, FIRE

Billy Easley II - circle-cropped
Billy Easley II

Lead Public Policy Manager, Reddit

Eric Goldman-circle-cropped
Eric Goldman

Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Law, and Co-Director, High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara University School of Law

Samir Jain-circle-cropped
Samir Jain

Vice President of Policy, Center for Democracy & Technology

A Kazaryan portrait
Ashkhen Kazaryan

Senior Legal Fellow, The Future of Free Speech

Mike Masnick - circle-cropped
Mike Masnick

CEO and Founder, Techdirt

Jessica Melugin
Jessica Melugin

Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Jess Miers-circle-cropped-2
Jess Miers

Assistant Professor of Law, University of Akron School of Law

Matt Perault - circle-cropped
Matt Perault

Head of AI Policy, Andreessen Horowitz

mattreader_cropped-circle
Matt Reeder

Head of Legal, BlueSky

Thirty years ago, as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Section 230 became law. The law was the result of a bipartisan effort that saw the potential of the internet and sought to encourage innovation and opportunities for online speech. Thirty years later, the law remains crucial to users and innovators of all sizes; however, it has been criticized by both the left and the right.

Join us for a day featuring panels on the history of Section 230, the current impact, debates, and legal challenges around the law, and how it might interact with future content moderation strategies including decentralization and technologies such as artificial intelligence. The event will also feature a live virtual conversation with one of Section 230’s co-authors, Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR).

A reception will follow.

Schedule

10:00 - 10:05 AM

Opening

10:05 - 11:25 AM

Panel 1: Past: Section 230’s origins and early interpretations

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Virtual Fireside Chat with Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR)

12:00 - 1:00 PM

Lunch

1:00 - 2:20 PM

Panel 2: Present: Current Debates and Challenges Regarding Section 230

2:20 - 2:35 PM

Break

2:35 - 3:55 PM

Panel 3: Future: Section 230 and emerging content moderation strategies and AI

3:55 - 4:00 PM

Closing and dismissal to reception