President Donald Trump threatened to veto the defense bill unless rules shielding tech companies from most liability are changed.
Trump wrote on Twitter, “Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to ‘Big Tech’ ... is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity. Our Country can never be safe & secure if we allow it to stand.”
Congress approves the NDAA every year to fund the military.
President Trump has long complained about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. It protects social media companies from liability for what their users post—positioning them as platforms instead of publishers. But critics say that’s not how tech giants like Twitter and Facebook act in reality.
The companies have ramped up censorship of users in recent months, including the president. They’ve even hidden some of his posts from the public unless they click a warning label.
Officials from both parties have expressed interest in reforming Section 230.
