Section 230 Explained — What It Means for Your Case
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is the legal provision that protects platforms like Tea App, Reddit, and Facebook from liability for content posted by their users. It's the reason you can't sue Tea App for hosting a defamatory post about you. But Section 230 is widely misunderstood — and misrepresented by platforms that use it to refuse legitimate removal requests. Here is what it actually means for your case.
What to Do — Step by Step
- 1Section 230 protects platforms from civil liability for user-generated content — it does not require them to keep content live
- 2Platforms can voluntarily remove content at any time — Section 230 is a defense against being sued, not a mandate to host everything
- 3Section 230 does NOT protect platforms from DMCA copyright claims — copyright infringement is explicitly carved out
- 4Section 230 does NOT protect platforms from federal criminal law enforcement
- 5Platforms that 'exercise editorial control' over content lose some Section 230 protections — this is actively litigated
- 6The TAKE IT DOWN Act (2026) created new exceptions for non-consensual intimate images that override Section 230
- 7State criminal harassment and cyberstalking laws can create obligations for platforms despite Section 230
- 8Professional removal works within this framework — using DMCA, platform TOS violations, and legal channels that don't require Section 230 to be waived
Section 230 limits what lawsuits can do. Professional removal works through different channels. Free case review.
Document First
Screenshot everything before taking any other action.
Don't Respond
Public responses amplify defamatory content.
Act Quickly
The first 24–48 hours determine how far content spreads.
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