Introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, the bill aims to hold big tech companies accountable for the photos and videos of child exploitation on their platforms.
Called the "Eliminating Abuse and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2019," or "EARN IT Act," the bipartisan bill requires that companies comply with a series of best practices for curbing abuse or risk being held liable. The bill would overrule the immunity granted by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Critics say the bill could pave the way for a requirement that companies build so-called backdoors into the encryption that keeps communication in online platforms secure.