During this week’s testimony before both chambers of Congress, FBI Director Kash Patel and several lawmakers made a concerted push to weaken protections for online platforms, advance surveillance partnerships, and promote government intervention in digital speech spaces.
The hearings revealed a rare bipartisan consensus around dismantling Section 230 and tightening control over how people interact and communicate online.
In the Senate, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham opened his questioning by linking online platforms to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, then repeatedly pressed Patel on whether the internet was a breeding ground for radicalization and crime.
Throughout their exchange, Graham blurred the lines between criminal behavior, such as grooming or inciting violence, and broad categories like bullying.
“Is there any law that can shut down one of these sites? For bullying children or allowing sexual predators on the site,” Graham asked.
He repeatedly implied that websites hosting objectionable content should be held legally responsible, asking, “Would you advocate a sunsetting of Section 230 to bring more liability to the companies who send this stuff out?”
Patel replied, “I’ve advocated for that for years.”
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is a legal provision that protects online platforms from being held liable for content posted by their users.
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