{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-cornyn-bill-to-require-companies-report-illicit-online-drug-sales", "Manchin, Cornyn Bill To Require Companies Report Illicit Online Drug Sales", "2020-09-29", "2020", "2020-09", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "September 29, 2020\n\t\t\t Manchin, Cornyn Bill To Require Companies Report Illicit Online Drug Sales \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington,\r\nDC  Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced\r\nthe See Something, Say Something Online Act to stop the illicit sale of\r\nopioids and other drugs online by amending Section 230 of the Communications\r\nDecency Act to require companies report illegal activity on their online\r\nplatforms. When\r\nSection 230 was written into law in 1996, the Internet was completely\r\ndifferent. Today, nearly all of us carry the Internet in our pocket, using our\r\nphones to call cabs, buy groceries, and message friends and family across town\r\nand across the globe, but the same technology that has made us more connected\r\nhas also made it easier to conduct illegal activity online, said Senator\r\nManchin. Each year, authorities seize enough fentanyl to kill every\r\nAmerican four times over, much of it ordered over the Internet and sent by mail\r\nfrom China. As the Internet rapidly changed, we failed to keep up. Now we must\r\namend Section 230 to reflect the way the Internet impacts our lives today \r\nboth good and bad. That's why Senator Cornyn and I are introducing the\r\nbipartisan legislation that would require companies to say something when they\r\nsee something illegal online. This commonsense approach would create a clear mechanism\r\nfor reporting criminal activity online, requiring companies to take reasonable\r\nsteps to report unlawful activity or be held liable for that failure. It is\r\npast time we held these sites accountable. High-level\r\ndrug offenses, violent crimes like murder, and even acts of terrorism are\r\ndocumented online, and it's past time that technology platforms play a role in\r\nstanding up for the victims of these types of crimes by saying something when\r\nthey see something,said Senator\r\nCornyn.By requiring\r\ntechnology platforms to file reports when they become aware that a major crime\r\nhas been committed, this legislation keeps platforms accountable and helps\r\nauthorities deliver justice. The\r\nSee Something, Say Something Online Act would change Section 230 by: \r\n Requiring companies to report\r\nsuspicious activity to law enforcement, similar to the way that banks are\r\nrequired to report suspicious transactions over $10,000 or others that\r\nmight signal criminal activity.\r\n Creating a system similar to\r\nthe Bank Secrecy Act by authorizing the creation of an office within the\r\nDepartment of Justice (DOJ) to act as the clearinghouse for these reports,\r\nsimilar to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) within the\r\nDepartment of Treasury.\r\n Raising the threshold for\r\nreporting to serious crimes like illegal drug sales, hate crimes, murder,\r\nor terrorism to ensure that users' privacy remains safe.\r\n Requiring that companies must\r\ntake reasonable steps to prevent or address unlawful activity and can be\r\nheld liable if they fail to report criminal activity. Background\r\ninformation on the See Something, Say Something Online Act can be found here. Bill\r\ntext can be found here.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-cornyn-bill-to-require-companies-report-illicit-online-drug-sales"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9910559747368097, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}