The
Communications Decency Act (CDA) was actually Title V of the United States'
Telecommunications Act of 1996. It was passed by the
United States Congress by
February 1,
1996 but on
June 26,
1997 the
Supreme Court struck down the act as an unconstitutional abridgement of the First Amendment right to free speech. CDA contained a number of provisions criminalizing the display or transmission to a minor material of a violent or sexual nature. The media affected by this act were the internet and cable television.
A narrower version of this act relating to the internet was later restated in the Child Online Protection Act[?] (COPA).