Tech group urges DOJ on Section 230

A center-left tech group funded by Google, Apple, and other companies is calling on the Biden administration to come to the defense of the industry’s embattled liability shield, Section 230, in a highstakes legal case picked up by the Supreme Court.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Chamber of Progress urged the Justice Department to file a brief pushing back on calls to hold platforms accountable for amplifying harmful content.

The Supreme Court last month agreed to hear Gonzalez v. Google, which will consider whether the tech giant is liable for allegedly recommending terrorist content to users through algorithms on its subsidiary video-sharing platform YouTube.

For decades, Section 230 has broadly shielded digital services from lawsuits for hosting and making ‘‘good faith’’ efforts to moderate objectionable content. But it’s increasingly come under attacks from advocates and public officials who say it has allowed the tech giants to escape responsibility for their decisions policing content.

Legal experts say the case, the first time the high court will directly weigh in on the law, could have sweeping ramifications for how companies handle user-generated content.

In its missive, the Chamber of Progress called on the Justice Department to file ‘‘a brief in support of the defendants,’’ which is Google.

The group argued that Section 230 also allows platforms to provide critical services to users, including related to medical services, and that it was crucial for the court not to limit the protections ‘‘to ensure the continued availability of lifesaving reproductive resources.’’