Internet giants such as Google-parent Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta Platforms, Reddit, Snap and others could face the loss of key legal protections from liability lawsuits with the 2027 expiration of Section 230, said a report on Friday. Google stock and other internet companies have benefited from the three-decade old legal protections.
The Information on Friday said a bipartisan bill is in the works in Congress and is supported by the Trump administration. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, plan to introduce a bill that would set an expiration date of Jan. 1, 2027, for Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, said the report.
Further, Section 230 has shielded social media companies from liability for content created by users on their websites. Congress has attempted to revise or repeal the 1996 law without success.
A host of online ventures, from restaurant review sites to community message boards, have grown amid the legal protections.
Moreover, Section 230 gave social media platforms protection from libel and slander, as well as how they manage content considered excessively violent, obscene or harassing.
Google Stock: YouTube Owner
Also, Section 230 also protects internet companies from liability for removing or banning content.
In the first Trump administration, Trump made several attempts to dismantle Section 230.
On the stock market today, Google stock fell a fraction to 162.48. Meantime, Google stock has retreated 14% in 2025. Google owns social media platform YouTube.
Google's Relative Strength Rating currently stands at 33 out of a best-possible 99, according to IBD Stock Checkup. The best stocks tend to have an RS rating of 80 or better. The relative strength line has tumbled.
GOOGL stock holds an Accumulation/Distribution Rating of E. That institutional ownership rating analyzes price and volume changes in a stock over the past 13 weeks of trading, on an A+ to E scale. Think of C as neutral.
Follow Reinhardt Krause on Twitter @reinhardtk_tech for updates on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud computing.
