'''Section 230''' of the [[Communications Decency Act]] of 1996 (a common name for Title V of the [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]]) is a landmark piece of [[Internet]] legislation in the United States. Section 230(c)(1) provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by others:
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<blockquote>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. </blockquote>
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In analyzing the availability of the immunity offered by this provision, courts generally apply a three-prong test. A defendant must satisfy each of the three prongs to gain the benefit of the immunity:
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# The defendant must be a "provider or user" of an "interactive computer service."
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# The cause of action asserted by the plaintiff must "treat" the defendant "as the publisher or speaker" of the harmful information at issue.
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# The information must be "provided by another information content provider," i.e., the defendant must not be the "information content provider" of the harmful information at issue.