Clinton signs the Communications Decency Act, making it a federal crime to transmit 'indecent' or 'patently offensive' content online to anyone under 18

President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on February 8, 1996, which included the Communications Decency Act (CDA) — the first major federal attempt to regulate internet speech. CDA Sections 223(a) and 223(d) made it a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison to knowingly transmit 'obscene or indecent' content or 'patently offensive' material on the internet in a manner available to anyone under 18. The ACLU, along with 19 other organizations, filed suit challenging the CDA the same day Clinton signed it, arguing that the law's vague standards would criminalize constitutionally protected speech for adults.