Online Public Relations Thoughts

 As hard as Facebook and Twitter have tried to remain something other than publishers with liability for content, regulation is coming.  The European Union took notice of their ending of Trump's privileges since inciting mob action in Washington DC.  To the EU, that was the action of publishers and hence, the two services should remain responsible for what appears on their sites.  What this means to Facebook and Twitter is an editorial process to vet every statement that appears -- tens of thousands a day.  It would be a ruinous expense requiring a combination of technology and human intervention.  The two services have some of that already, but the imposition of liability could put the editing function on steroids.  It would also reduce competition since other online services could hardly afford to do it.  However, it is near certain that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act is on its way and along with it, their protection for free speech.