DISCOURSE Act

The DISCOURSE Act (S 921) changes Section 230 of the Communications Act to hold large internet platforms (with dominant market share) liable for content moderation decisions that appear to express, promote, or suppress a specific viewpoint. It targets practices like algorithmic amplification of content without user request, consistent content removal based on viewpoint, or actively altering user-generated content. Platforms must publicly disclose their content moderation policies to help users and small businesses understand how content is managed. The bill also adds a religious liberty exception for content moderation related to religious material and clarifies that Section 230 immunity is an affirmative defense requiring platforms to prove they aren’t publishers of the content.