Today, U.S. Senators Schatz and Thune reintroduced the PACT Act. Access Now welcomes the bill’s reintroduction.
Since first introduced last year, the offices have made changes that address some of Access Now’s concerns, such as extending the amount of time a platform has to respond to legal orders. While not perfect, the PACT Act aligns with several of Access Now’s content governance recommendations. The offices also strengthened provisions around the complaint system to prevent abuse and spam.
“In a sea of Section 230 proposals, the bipartisan PACT Act is one piece of the puzzle,” said Eric Null, U.S. Policy Manager at Access Now. “Requiring companies to have content moderation policies, explain their moderation decisions, and have an appeal process is good for people who use their platform. The crucial missing component is directly addressing online civil rights harms, which have flourished as platforms fail to adequately combat these harms. We still have work to do to root out damaging content online, with an eye towards protecting marginalized communities.”
Access Now looks forward to working with lawmakers on this legislation and other platform accountability proposals.