ASSOCIATE DEAN DARYL LIM ON THE LEGAL AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF REPEALING SECTION 230
April 2025 — In a recent op-ed in The Conversation, Associate Dean Daryl Lim examined the far-reaching consequences of repealing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the foundational law often credited with building the modern internet.
As bipartisan efforts mount to sunset Section 230 by 2027, Associate Lim offers readers an analysis of what’s at stake. From the chilling effect on free expression to the potential unraveling of content moderation practices, his analysis illuminates how platforms like Reddit, Yelp, and TikTok — and the users who rely on them — would be radically affected in a post-230 landscape.
“Without Section 230, platforms could be held liable for user content, forcing them into a lose-lose choice: allow everything, or censor everything,” Associate Dean Lim explained. “The consequences would be especially devastating for small businesses, startups, and marginalized voices.”
The article draws on current legislative developments, expert commentary, and legal precedent to underscore how the repeal of Section 230 would upend the delicate balance between accountability and innovation. It also explores how a patchwork of conflicting state laws could emerge, leading to a fractured regulatory environment with inconsistent obligations for platforms operating nationwide.
Daryl Lim is the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. He is also the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Founding Director of the Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Innovation Initiative. At the university level, he is a co-hire at the Institute of Computational and Data Sciences and an affiliate at the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence.
Professor Lim is an award-winning author, observer, and commentator on national and global trends in IP and competition policy and how they influence and are influenced by law, technology, economics, and politics. He helps policymakers, attorneys, corporate counsel, scholars, and the public understand the world around them. He is a founding member of the Global IP Alliance and its local chapters in Pennsylvania and Illinois. In addition, he serves as Co-Chair of the University Education Committee in the US IP Alliance.
In December 2022, the American Law Institute elected Professor Lim to its membership based on demonstrated excellence and outstanding professional achievement. In 2023, the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission recognized him as “a leading expert in antitrust law and economics” and the IAM Strategy 300, a guide to the industry pioneers with “exceptional skill sets, as well as profound insights into the development, creation, and management of IP value,” named him to its World’s Leading IP Strategists 2023 list. In 2024, he was appointed to the consultative group advising the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. In 2025, he received the IP Professor of the Year Award at the Global Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence & Technology Conclave & Awards.