Trump vows to veto defense bill unless shield for big tech is scrapped

The president tweeted late Tuesday that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act is "a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity."

• By Jaclyn Diaz/NPR

(Washington) — President Trump is threatening to veto a critical defense spending bill unless Congress agrees to repeal a liability shield for social media companies.

The president tweeted late Tuesday that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act is “a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity.”

Section 230 provides legal protection for technology companies over content from third parties and users. Trump referred to the provision as a “liability shielding gift” to “Big Tech.”

If he doesn’t get his way, Trump is threatening to nix this year’s National Defense Authorization Act — a crucial piece of annual legislation that covers authorization for pay raises and other spending needs for the nation’s military.

Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to “Big Tech” (the only companies in America that have it – corporate welfare!), is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity. Our Country can never be safe & secure if we allow it to stand…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020

The veto threat is the latest move by the president in his war against social media giants, such as Facebook and Twitter. He and other conservatives believe tech companies are biased against right-wing political views — censoring posts they don’t like. However, the social media platforms say they are only trying to stop the spread of false claims and disinformation.

Trump previously threatened a veto of the NDAA in July, because it included language renaming U.S. military installations honoring Confederate generals, according to The Associated Press.