Section 230 is the US federal law that generally shields websites and platforms from liability for content posted by their users and protects their good-faith moderation decisions.
Section 230 (47 U.S.C. §230), enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, provides that a provider or user of an interactive computer service shall not be treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by someone else. In practice, a platform hosting a defamatory review or post usually cannot be held liable for it in US courts; the author can.
The protection has limits. It does not apply to federal criminal law, intellectual property claims — which is why DMCA copyright notices still work — certain communications privacy laws and, since 2018, certain sex-trafficking claims. It does not stop a platform from removing content voluntarily, and newer laws such as the TAKE IT DOWN Act impose separate removal duties for intimate images.
In practice
Because a US platform usually cannot be forced to remove user content simply because it is defamatory, removal depends on other levers: the platform's own policies, a copyright claim if the content is yours, the TAKE IT DOWN Act for intimate images, privacy law in other jurisdictions such as the EU, or a court judgment against the author that the platform may choose to honour. Section 230 does not protect the person who wrote the content.
Source: 47 U.S.C. §230 ↗
Related removals
- Google reviews — $350 per review, pay on success
- Reddit posts — $1,700 per post, pay on success
- Reputation management — Priced per removal, from $350, pay on success
Related terms
- Defamation — Defamation is a false statement of fact, communicated to others, that damages the reputation of an identifiable person or business.
- DMCA takedown — A DMCA takedown is a notice under US copyright law asking a host, platform or search engine to remove material that infringes a copyright you own or are authorised to enforce.
- TAKE IT DOWN Act — The TAKE IT DOWN Act is a 2025 US federal law requiring covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, within 48 hours of a valid request.
- Community guidelines — Community guidelines are a platform's own rules about what users may post, and breaking them is the most common ground on which platforms remove content.
- Digital Services Act (DSA) — The Digital Services Act is the EU regulation on how platforms and hosts handle illegal content, including a duty to act on notices and to explain decisions, refusals included.