Adam Candeub, a known critic of Big Tech, is set to become the general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
According to Semafor, FCC chairman Brendan Carr has confirmed Candeub’s upcoming role at the FCC. TechCrunch has reached out to the FCC for further details.
Candeub has been a vocal critic of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Section 230 shields tech companies and online service providers from legal action based on user-generated content. The argument against repealing Section 230 is that tech companies, particularly social media platforms, would be held accountable for content posted by users, potentially leading to censorship.
In 2020, Candeub was involved in an administrative petition urging the FCC to address concerns surrounding social media content moderation. This request came after Donald Trump accused social media platforms like Twitter of censoring conservative viewpoints following their moderation of his false claims regarding voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Efforts to limit Section 230’s authority have faced challenges, including a 2023 Supreme Court ruling in favor of Google and Twitter in cases involving content from the Islamic State. However, the topic of Section 230 is expected to resurface under the current administration, especially with Candeub and Chairman Carr expressing interest in revisiting the issue.
Candeub previously served as an FCC advisor in the early 2000s and later held roles in the Trump Administration, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Telecommunications and Information. He briefly served as Acting Assistant Secretary before joining the Department of Justice as Deputy Associate Attorney General towards the end of Trump’s presidency in 2020. Candeub is currently a law professor at Michigan State University, where he has been a part of the law faculty since 2004.
