Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will repeat arguments in favour of reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, according to prepared remarks made available by the US House of Representatives' Committee on Energy & Commerce. "Instead of being granted immunity, platforms should be required to demonstrate that they have systems in place for identifying unlawful content and removing it," Zuckerberg will say. Section 230 is a piece of legislation that largely shields large online intermediaries like social media platforms from liability for content posted by users. The company has stepped up its advocacy on the issue amid scrutiny on social media companies over fake news and disinformation. Facebook has been vague on the kind of technologies platforms should leverage, leading to concern among smaller platforms that the company is pushing for rulemaking that it will be in a better position to comply with. Steps Facebook has already taken, as has been noted before, are largely the sector-wide reforms it is recommending. For instance, Facebook suggests independent oversight on decision making on content removal; Facebook has created an Oversight Board to that end. In that sense, Zuckerberg's opening remarks don't cover any new ground. What Zuckerberg is recommending Requiring moderation systems: Zuckerberg will specifically advocate for an amendment that would require intermediaries to demonstrate that they are working on identifying and removing illegal content. Platforms "should be required to have adequate systems in place to address unlawful content," he will say. Oversight on decision making: "In addition to concerns about unlawful…
