Biden DOJ Files Brief Siding Against Google on Section 230

Gonzalez v. Google threatens ability of online platforms to host and moderate content

Dec 8, 2022

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration’s acting Solicitor General filed a brief with the Supreme Court in the case of Gonzalez v. Google, weighing in for the Gonzalez plaintiffs and recommending a ruling that would undermine Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Last month, Chamber of Progress and sexual health group Advocates for Youth sent a letter urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a brief in support of Google to ensure the continued availability of life-saving reproductive health resources.

“DOJ’s stance would hinder platforms’ ability to recommend facts over lies, help over harm, and empathy over hate,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich “If the Supreme Court rules for Gonzalez, platforms wouldn’t be able to recommend help for those considering self-harm, reproductive health information for women considering abortions, and accurate election information for people who want to vote. This would unleash a flood of lawsuits from trolls and haters unhappy about the platforms’ efforts to create safe, healthy online communities.”

The letter sent by Chamber of Progress to the Department of Justice argues that, as Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country enact total abortion bans and attempt to restrict the availability of reproductive health information, online services provide critical access to that information. A Supreme Court decision undermining Section 230 in Gonzalez might compel platforms to limit access to reproductive health resources. Read the full letter here

###

Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly. 

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.