The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in the first of two cases this week that explore the extent of the legal protections given to tech companies that provide a platform for third-party users to publish content.

“We’re a court. We really don’t know about these things. These are not the nine greatest experts on the internet.”

The Supreme Court on Tuesday debated the scope of a 27-year-old federal law that shields social-media companies from liability for content published by others. At issue in Gonzalez v. Google is whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects internet platforms when their algorithms target users and recommend someone else’s content.

Social media was once hailed a great democratizing force. But in an era of disinformation and the growth of hate groups, there has been a shift in thought from both liberals and conservatives. What is the civic responsibility of companies like Facebook and Twitter?

Back in 1996, when the World Wide Web was just beginning to revolutionize the ways human beings could communicate, many of those helping to build the emerging online tech industry were filled with a boundless sense of optimism.

President Trump on Tuesday night threatened to veto a defense bill if it does not include the repeal of a legal shield for internet companies, throwing down the latest gauntlet in a fight over a piece of must-pass legislation.

Trump’s warning took aim at Section 230, which gives tech companies protections for third-party content posted on their platforms and allows them to make "good faith" efforts to moderate content. The president and other Republicans have claimed that social media firms use the law to unfairly censor conservatives.

President Donald Trump is vowing to veto the National Defense Authorization Act unless Congress repeals a section of the 1996 Communications Decency Act that shields social media platforms from liability for what users post on them.

His comments came in tweets posted Tuesday night. He wrote: "Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to 'Big Tech' (the only companies in America that have it - corporate welfare!), is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity. Our Country can never be safe & secure if we allow it to stand.

President Donald Trump threatened to veto must-pass defense policy legislation on Tuesday unless lawmakers agree to repeal a legal shield for social media companies, a move that one senior House staffer called "a total non-starter" for Democrats.

Trump's push to repeal the protections, known as Section 230, has become the most contentious remaining issue in talks on the National Defense Authorization Act. The president ratcheted up the pressure on Congress in a pair of tweets Tuesday night, threatening to nix the $740 billion bill unless it includes the repeal.

President Trump threatened to veto an annual defense-policy bill if it doesn’t include language revoking a provision that gives social-media companies broad immunity for the content they publish from users on their sites.

Mr. Trump demanded on Tuesday night that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act be repealed.

President Trump said Tuesday he will veto the National Defense Authorization Act unless Congress terminates Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which offers legal protections to social media giants.

The pillar of internet free speech is Trump’s latest target.

You may have never heard of it, but Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is the legal backbone of the internet. The law was created almost 30 years ago to protect internet platforms from liability for many of the things third parties say or do on them. And now it’s under threat by one of its biggest beneficiaries: President Trump, who hopes to use it to fight back against the social media platforms he believes are unfairly censoring him and other conservative voices.