SECTION 230

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FIRST THERE IS THIS LINK....

http://w2.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-230.php

AND THE LAW

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/230.html

47 CFR 230

(a) Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The rapidly developing array of Internet and other interactive
computer services available to individual Americans represent an
extraordinary advance in the availability of educational and
informational resources to our citizens.
(2) These services offer users a great degree of control over the
information that they receive, as well as the potential for even
greater control in the future as technology develops.
(3) The Internet and other interactive computer services offer a forum
for a true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for
cultural development, and myriad avenues for intellectual activity.
(4) The Internet and other interactive computer services have
flourished, to the benefit of all Americans, with a minimum of
government regulation.
(5) Increasingly Americans are relying on interactive media for a
variety of political, educational, cultural, and entertainment
services.
(b) Policy
It is the policy of the United States—
(1) to promote the continued development of the Internet and other
interactive computer services and other interactive media;
(2) to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently
exists for the Internet and other interactive computer services,
unfettered by Federal or State regulation;
(3) to encourage the development of technologies which maximize user
control over what information is received by individuals, families,
and schools who use the Internet and other interactive computer
services;
(4) to remove disincentives for the development and utilization of
blocking and filtering technologies that empower parents to restrict
their children’s access to objectionable or inappropriate online
material; and
(5) to ensure vigorous enforcement of Federal criminal laws to deter
and punish trafficking in obscenity, stalking, and harassment by means
of computer.
(c) Protection for “Good Samaritan” blocking and screening of
offensive material
(1) Treatment of publisher or speaker
No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be
treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by
another information content provider.
(2) Civil liability
No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be held
liable on account of—
(A) any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to
or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be
obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or
otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is
constitutionally protected; or
(B) any action taken to enable or make available to information
content providers or others the technical means to restrict access to
material described in paragraph (1).[1]
(d) Obligations of interactive computer service
A provider of interactive computer service shall, at the time of
entering an agreement with a customer for the provision of interactive
computer service and in a manner deemed appropriate by the provider,
notify such customer that parental control protections (such as
computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially
available that may assist the customer in limiting access to material
that is harmful to minors. Such notice shall identify, or provide the
customer with access to information identifying, current providers of
such protections.
(e) Effect on other laws
(1) No effect on criminal law
Nothing in this section shall be construed to impair the enforcement
of section 223 or 231 of this title, chapter 71 (relating to
obscenity) or 110 (relating to sexual exploitation of children) of
title 18, or any other Federal criminal statute.
(2) No effect on intellectual property law
Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or expand any law
pertaining to intellectual property.
(3) State law
Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any State from
enforcing any State law that is consistent with this section. No cause
of action may be brought and no liability may be imposed under any
State or local law that is inconsistent with this section.
(4) No effect on communications privacy law
Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the application of
the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 or any of the
amendments made by such Act, or any similar State law.
(f) Definitions
As used in this section:
(1) Internet
The term “Internet” means the international computer network of both
Federal and non-Federal interoperable packet switched data networks.
(2) Interactive computer service
The term “interactive computer service” means any information service,
system, or access software provider that provides or enables computer
access by multiple users to a computer server, including specifically
a service or system that provides access to the Internet and such
systems operated or services offered by libraries or educational
institutions.
(3) Information content provider
The term “information content provider” means any person or entity
that is responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation or
development of information provided through the Internet or any other
interactive computer service.
(4) Access software provider
The term “access software provider” means a provider of software
(including client or server software), or enabling tools that do any
one or more of the following:
(A) filter, screen, allow, or disallow content;
(B) pick, choose, analyze, or digest content; or
(C) transmit, receive, display, forward, cache, search, subset,
organize, reorganize, or translate content.