Graham leads bipartisan demand for tech reform vote to 'bring social media companies to heel'

FIRST ON FOX: A group of bipartisan senators are demanding that Republican and Democratic Senate leadership allow a vote on legislation that would rein in tech companies' ability to get off with few legal ramifications for serious online harms.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, the lawmakers called for major reforms to Section 230, a decades-old law that they contend has shielded tech companies from liability for a litany of online crimes.

Graham said in a statement to Fox News Digital that his New Year's wish is "for Congress to bring social media companies to heel."

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"These platforms are doing enormous damage to our country, pushing people to suicide and selling fentanyl-laced pills and tablets," Graham said. "It is long past time to open up the American courtroom to those who have been harmed by this out-of-control system, and to finally have regulations and accountability for the largest businesses in the history of the country. The courthouse doors are closed, and there is no meaningful regulation."

Graham and his colleagues, including Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are eying February for a vote.

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The problem began nearly 30 years ago, the lawmakers said, when the Telecommunications Act of 1996, including the Communications Decency Act and Section 230, were first passed. At the time, that law was meant to help a nascent internet grow.

But in the time since, they argued, it has expanded immunity for tech companies too far, shielding them from accountability for harmful conduct.

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They listed several examples of online crimes that tech companies have been able to dodge, including children being sexually groomed and extorted online, the creation of AI deepfake pornography, fentanyl-laced pills being sold to teens, young people's anxieties, stress, and body image issues being exploited, and terrorist organizations and foreign governments targeting vulnerable individuals for recruitment and exploitation.

"And to make matters worse, Section 230 prevents these victims and their families from ever having their day in court," they said.

Graham introduced legislation earlier this week to fully repeal Section 230, which would take effect two years after its enactment if passed. His bill would effectively strip federal immunity that tech companies have relied on.

"At 30 years of age, Section 230 is broken, and the internet is worse for it," the lawmakers said. "It is time for this body to take a stand and advance the reforms needed to build a safer online environment for all Americans. Thank you for your attention to this matter."