On Senator Durbin’s retirement: don’t let the door to the series of tubes hit you on the way out!

The following statement can be attributed to Lia Holland (they/she) Campaigns and Communications Director at Fight for the Future:

“We at Fight for the Future are relieved to hear Senator Durbin’s announcement that he intends to retire. For far too long, Senator Durbin has pushed bad Internet legislation to end Section 230, the first amendment of the Internet. His myopic focus on this false solution to the terrible behavior of Silicon Valley shows a fundamental and dogged misunderstanding of how online speech, activism, knowledge, and community works. Repealing 230 to give the Trump administration, or a state government like Florida’s, total power to criminalize any speech they don’t like and sue it off the Internet would be a bitter note to end a progressive political career on—a move that would easily eclipse any good Senator Durbin has ever done for the marginalized and vulnerable people he claims to support, like LGBTQ+ people and abortion patients, providers, and anyone seeking accurate reproductive healthcare info online.

In his remaining time, Senator Durbin should prioritize his work defending and listening to traditionally marginalized communities instead of chasing cheap and ultimately harmful political punches that won’t even land on Big Tech. His bill to sunset Section 230 would, in fact, be a gift to Big Tech monopolies with huge legal budgets and developer teams, and come at the expense of shutting down emerging alternative platforms and competitors like Bluesky that are crucial to activism and independent journalism.

It’s time for a new, tech-literate generation to lead on policies that actually rein in Big Tech and empower everyday people to make the Internet a better place. On 230, Senator Durbin shouldn’t wait two years to step aside—he needs to stop today.”