---
title: "Map intermediary liability for the publication path under section 230"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/defamation-and-media-law/map-platform-or-intermediary-liability-from-the-publication-path/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A33-T1-R5-US"
practice_area: "Defamation & Media Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Map intermediary liability for the publication path under section 230

> For each host, platform and author in the path, record who created the words and who only provided the service. Write no conclusion on immunity.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/defamation-and-media-law/map-platform-or-intermediary-liability-from-the-publication-path/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Defamation & Media Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/defamation-and-media-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | For each host, platform and author in the path, record who created the words and who only provided the service. Write no conclusion on immunity. |
| What the lawyer must review | You apply 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1): no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by another information content provider. Section 230(f)(3) defines an information content provider as a person responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation or development of the information. A platform that creates the statement is in a different position from one that hosts it. State defamation law still governs the author. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Map platform or intermediary liability from the publication path](https://ailawframework.com/practice/defamation-and-media-law/map-platform-or-intermediary-liability-from-the-publication-path.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: For each host, platform and author in the path, record who created the words and who only provided the service. Write no conclusion on immunity.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Section 230(c)(1) does not decide a claim against the person who created the statement.
- If the case is in federal court, Rule 11 applies to the immunity allegation you later sign.

## Sources

- [47 U.S.C. § 230 (protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [California Civil Code § 45 (libel defined)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=45) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_11) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Digital intermediary liability map for an online publication (Defamation Act s 31A)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/defamation-and-media-law/digital-intermediary-liability-map.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Map of every party in an online publication path (author, poster, page owner, platform, search engine, host) against the s 31A digital intermediary defence: accessible complaints mechanism, written… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*