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4 unusual facts about Communications Decency Act


Andy Ihnatko

In the early days of the World Wide Web, Andy described a game called "Web That Smut" (possibly as criticism of the recently passed Communications Decency Act).

Communications Decency Act

It was introduced to the Senate Committee of Commerce, Science, and Transportation by Senators James Exon (D-NE) and Slade Gorton (R-WA) in 1995.

(The New York case, Reno v. Shea, was affirmed by the Supreme Court the next day, without a published opinion.)

Mike Flugennock

During the Clinton era, most of his posters were critical of Presirnt Bill Clinton's military actions, and policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Communications Decency Act, and the Defense of Marriage Act.


Barrett v. Rosenthal

In a unanimous decision, the court held that Rosenthal was a "user of interactive computer services" and therefore immune from liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Black World Wide Web protest

The Communications Decency Act which gave rise to the protest was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court by a 9-0 vote on June 26, 1997, which upheld a federal district court ruling.

Dolores Sloviter

In 1996 Sloviter was a member of a three-judge panel of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania which heard a challenge to the Communications Decency Act, Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, on grounds that it abridged the free speech provisions of the First Amendment.

Ripoff Report

According to a United States law called the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. ยง 230(c), websites like the Ripoff Report are excluded from certain forms of civil liability seeking to treat the site as the "publisher or speaker" of user-generated content.


see also

Litigation involving the Wikimedia Foundation

Professional golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, who also felt he was defamed on Wikipedia, did not sue Wikipedia because he was told that his suit would not prevail in light of the Communications Decency Act.