US plans changes in 'legal shield' for Google and Facebook

The US Justice Department plans to propose changes to a legal shield enjoyed by companies such as Google and Facebook amid criticism that the tech platforms carry material that promotes illicit conduct and suppresses conservative opinions.

The Justice Department is concerned that tech companies are expanding beyond the original intent of the liability provision, known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, in order to immunise them from laws, Jeffrey Rosen, the department’s No. 2 official, said at a conference in Washington.