.....Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The purpose of this law was to allow Internet service providers to be able to alter or remove
objectionable content without assuming the liability associated with a traditional publisher of content. Congress sought to allow providers of interactive computer services to perform some editing on user-generated content without becoming liable for all
defamatory or otherwise unlawful messages that they didn’t edit or delete. In other words, Congress sought to immunize the removal of user generated content, not the creation of content.
Sections 230(c)(1) and 230(e)(3) provide that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider," and that "[n]o cause of action may be brought and no liability may be imposed under any State or local law that is inconsistent with this section." Noble intentions behind this Congressional law, but not-so good intention behind "Internet street law" which could be read as saying "service provider, you can stand by while your services are used to ruin the reputation of good businesses and people, don't worry, we will not hold you liable."
This has given rise to many consumer complaints websites. While some of these are well-intentioned and responsible, the majority are not. The lawlessness has now sparked many websites charging fees for "investigating" consumer complaints. Some of these websites have their employees call their targets and offer to help with the defamatory postings... for a membership fee, of course. Some of these websites have been known to have their employees actually create the postings in an "anonymous" manner.
There are certain of these websites who charge a sliding scale fee for these memberships. Therefore, if you are a successful business and you wish to have the false postings edited or removed, it may cost tens of thousands of dollars. But the administrators of this scheme apparently have a kind and gentle heart. Therefore, if you believe that their fee is not financially feasible to you, they offer you the opportunity to prove it to them and request a lower fee. But you must provide them your private financial information first. Are these practices any different from the mafia employee going to a store and demanding the boss' "share" of the business earnings. Well, the threat of physical violence is now absent, but the demand is essentially the same "give us our share of your income or we will put you out of business." The name for this practice is racketeering.....
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