Statutes and court decisions that shape digital speech
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Federal law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok or face prohibition from US app stores and web hosting services.
Affects 170+ million American TikTok users and establishes precedent for regulating foreign-owned social media platforms based on national security concerns.
Supreme Court case addressing Section 230 immunity for algorithmic content recommendations
Avoided ruling on core Section 230 protections for platform recommendation algorithms
Texas law prohibiting large social media platforms from restricting or removing content based on user viewpoint
Restricts content moderation by platforms with over 50 million monthly active users in the United States, raising questions about the application of First Amendment protections to platform editorial decisions
Florida law restricting social media platforms from deplatforming political candidates and requiring content moderation transparency
Among the earliest state laws attempting to regulate platform moderation of political content, largely blocked by courts on First Amendment grounds
Maryland state law requiring disclosure and recordkeeping for online political advertisements, establishing transparency requirements for digital platforms.
State regulation of online political advertising with specific platform disclosure and recordkeeping requirements, partially struck down by the Fourth Circuit.
Package of laws creating an exception to Section 230 immunity for websites that facilitate sex trafficking
First major carve-out from Section 230 protections, led to widespread content moderation changes and platform closures
Supreme Court ruling that social media access is a protected First Amendment right, establishing platforms as the 'modern public square'
Decision protecting First Amendment rights to access social media platforms and establishing a constitutional framework for evaluating government restrictions on social media access
FCC order reclassifying broadband as a Title II telecommunications service and establishing net neutrality rules
Prohibited ISPs from blocking, throttling, or creating paid prioritization for internet traffic
Supreme Court decision striking down aggregate limits on individual campaign contributions, expanding donor capacity and enabling growth of digital fundraising platforms.
Removed aggregate contribution limits, facilitating large-scale digital fundraising operations and sophisticated online campaign finance systems.
Supreme Court ruling that political spending by corporations and unions is protected speech under the First Amendment
Changed campaign finance by allowing unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions
Supreme Court decision upholding most provisions of the McCain-Feingold Act, including restrictions on electioneering communications via broadcast, cable, and satellite and the soft money ban.
Sustained the constitutionality of electioneering communications restrictions covering broadcast, cable, and satellite, along with disclosure requirements and the soft money ban.
Supreme Court case, formally styled Moody v. NetChoice, challenging Texas HB 20's restrictions on social media content moderation
Establishes precedent for First Amendment protections of platform editorial decisions while requiring detailed constitutional analysis of state social media laws
Supreme Court ruling striking down anti-indecency provisions of the Communications Decency Act, establishing First Amendment protections for online speech
Established that the internet is subject to the highest level of First Amendment protection and struck down provisions criminalizing transmission of indecent material to minors online
Provides immunity to online platforms from liability for user-generated content while allowing them to moderate content in good faith
Federal statute providing liability immunity for online platforms regarding user-generated content, enabling the growth of social media platforms, forums, and content-sharing services