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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H5C5D9ED7AE964B39B34898B01807BF4E" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>117 HR 277 IH: Limiting Section 230 Immunity to Good Samaritans Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2021-01-12</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">117th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 277</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20210112">January 12, 2021</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="B001305">Mr. Budd</sponsor> (for himself, <cosponsor name-id="W000823">Mr. Waltz</cosponsor>, and <cosponsor name-id="G000589">Mr. Gooden of Texas</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HIF00">Committee on Energy and Commerce</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide accountability for bad actors who abuse the Good Samaritan protections provided under that Act, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H5759020342A64BF698717A33715F8924" style="OLC"><section id="H31EEC5D9E32541678EE84D1D8520592C" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Limiting Section 230 Immunity to Good Samaritans Act</short-title></quote>. </text></section><section id="H11E923FA2378477CADF4AFBDD94F0AB9"><enum>2.</enum><header>Scope of protection</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/47/230">47 U.S.C. 230</external-xref>) is amended—</text><paragraph id="H5BAA02E72C8D41A3ADABC67AE31A6FB1"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subsection (c)—</text><subparagraph id="H864E519B3C6141BE809678A0F7EDEFB3"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in paragraph (1)—</text><clause id="HB7CCDBBE6C904BBE8637FC2C9F3E6BC5"><enum>(i)</enum><text>by striking <quote>No provider</quote> and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block id="H5DEA3D15B1674A72B6C158D46FA719E6" style="OLC" act-name=""><subparagraph id="H9EBF81BF9F624EEEAAC2547DA1774D85"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Subject to subparagraph (B), no provider</text></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause><clause id="HA5E9D45C9C8E43EB8FB670215C04B834"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block id="H398A16209BBD4DECA6B03BD0EDFFB04F" style="OLC" act-name=""><subparagraph id="H8F23D716F39A47A6AF26E45B7A02C394"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Condition</header><text>With respect to an edge provider, subparagraph (A) shall only apply if the provider adopts and maintains written terms of service that—</text><clause id="HA284B5BCE1534143BF995C4CBA553FC8"><enum>(i)</enum><text>take precedence over other such terms in case of any conflict between the sets of terms; </text></clause><clause id="HE1C09E0D3FD64B18A48F1E2A33B0CB11"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>describe any policies of the edge provider relating to restricting access to or availability of material; and</text></clause><clause id="HB9F54BF9D95940C086268BBD24EC3046"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>promise that the edge provider shall—</text><subclause id="HE3EA5DE9AD844F358116E01564CE6A65"><enum>(I)</enum><text>design and operate the provided service in good faith; and</text></subclause><subclause id="H700DE6670E5345C597F99D14CA919B56"><enum>(II)</enum><text>if the provider is found, in a civil action brought in Federal or State court, or by an arbitrator, to breach the promise made under subclause (I) with respect to a claimant user, pay that user—</text><item id="HAB3EA7FF8558436C88228B62B08B0664"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>the greater of—</text><subitem id="HCE6DF259EEC245D2A2E6CD59CA357F49"><enum>(AA)</enum><text>damages of not less than $5,000; or</text></subitem><subitem id="H7539DC70BB4F4127A787FC353227FB60"><enum>(BB)</enum><text>actual damages; and</text></subitem></item><item id="HB7F55CA4F4434D2B9C768115D7722B61"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>with respect to litigation or arbitration by the user to enforce the promise—</text><subitem id="H968C9C48C8334727A7BE129C4B6EFB0A"><enum>(AA)</enum><text>a reasonable attorney’s fee; and </text></subitem><subitem id="HC94B017F51EB468AAD88D48C18709186"><enum>(BB)</enum><text>costs and other expenses described in sections 1821 and 1920 of title 28, United States Code (or, in the case of an action brought in State court or through arbitration, any similar costs and other expenses).</text></subitem></item></subclause></clause></subparagraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4B750F76807140C89536B55340CFB1E5"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HEBF0890FB59440A796B056CF7D38725D"><paragraph id="H7FCD4373EFB544B2B766890BA7CB6345"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Good faith</header><text>For the purposes of this subsection, a provider of an interactive computer service— </text><subparagraph id="HD70B33CDBCDC4E609339D3E70C876F63"><enum>(A)</enum><text>acts in good faith if the provider acts with an honest belief and purpose, observes fair dealing standards, and acts without fraudulent intent; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H5437028F9907465A81AAC8ECA4E64113"><enum>(B)</enum><text>does not act in good faith if the provider takes an action that includes—</text><clause id="H26A2350DB0224A25B21FD6F6F42E09A8"><enum>(i)</enum><text>the intentionally selective enforcement of the terms of service of the interactive computer service, including the intentionally selective enforcement of policies of the provider relating to restricting access to or availability of material;</text></clause><clause id="HDA552849AE2948139A890BF8165F5F78"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>enforcing the terms of service of the interactive computer service, including enforcing policies of the provider to restrict access to or availability of material, against a user by employing an algorithm that selectively enforces those terms, if the provider knows, or acts in reckless disregard of the fact, that the algorithm selectively enforces those terms; </text></clause><clause id="HBF364DF25ADE43F8B1EAA210CA7D16B1"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>the intentional failure to honor a public or private promise made by, or on behalf of, the provider; or</text></clause><clause id="H3138DF62884540A796B335BCD7089A3A"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>any other intentional action taken by the provider without an honest belief and purpose, without observing fair dealing standards, or with fraudulent intent.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HA9A4F62DBFA143F4A4EDC4D9202E660D"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block id="H08882E72ED004D72A565ACC6AFC8B440" style="OLC" act-name=""><paragraph id="H60E1042E06374C9999D3BD5E4437314B"><enum>(6)</enum><header>No effect on legal promises</header><text>Nothing in this section shall be construed to impair or limit any claim for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, or breach of a duty of good faith.</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph><paragraph id="HDFE5A6D6E4154C43928AB88A1A40E4F5"><enum>(3)</enum><text>in subsection (f), by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block id="H54C53EB076C0476199D5BD8F2FF709C7" style="OLC" act-name=""><paragraph id="H67DEFB7ACF214B3D9BD840C3616C8777"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Edge provider</header><text>The term <term>edge provider</term>— </text><subparagraph id="H7FF2C76C2A7744F4AFD809C9B01F164F"><enum>(A)</enum><text>means an entity that— </text><clause id="HBB3645B093B04A8F880EEA57768AA532"><enum>(i)</enum><text>provides an interactive computer service—</text><subclause id="HCAF8BDFFF30A4355A3DA63990115A3BC"><enum>(I)</enum><text>through a website, online application, or mobile application (including a single interactive computer service that is provided through more than 1 such website or application);</text></subclause><subclause id="HE0489CFC8DAA4D95B43FBF323A90B546"><enum>(II)</enum><text>through which information provided by another information content provider is distributed; and</text></subclause><subclause id="H5D269F520520404BA37BE7150D5C50F7"><enum>(III)</enum><text>that, in any month during the most recently completed 12-month period—</text><item id="H161E9C17BAB1455BAD4B67B7AE374A90"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>more than 30,000,000 users in the United States accessed, without regard to the means by which the users accessed the service; or</text></item><item id="H367D09176E6543B78647E2601F9F954C"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>more than 300,000,000 users worldwide accessed, without regard to the means by which the users accessed the service; and</text></item></subclause></clause><clause id="H33A809D1F83E455BA5A23BA1AA3E83D4"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>during the most recently completed taxable year, had more than $1,500,000,000 in global revenue; and</text></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H52B9F9E778744FA7A48C9D8D7939E186"><enum>(B)</enum><text>does not include an organization described in <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/501">section 501(c)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></section></legis-body></bill> 

