Laws enacted in Texas and Florida would restrict social media companies’ ability to decide what user content they wish to publish.

The Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether to uphold Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas that seek to impose restrictions on the ability of social media companies to moderate content based on the claim that they disfavor conservative speech.

Platforms like Facebook and YouTube, represented by trade groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, known as CCIA, say that both laws infringe upon the free speech rights of companies under the Constitution’s First Amendment by restricting their ability to choose what content they wish to publish on their platforms.

Various other tech companies that routinely moderate user content oppose the laws, including Reddit, Discord and Yelp.

The laws were enacted by the Republican-led states in 2021 after Twitter, Facebook and others banned former President Donald Trump after his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election ended in his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

  • MagicShel@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    I think they will have no choice but to rule against these states even if they might want to allow this particular thing in this particular case, they have to consider what it means in the broader legal framework - including as regards CP.

      • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        Ones a cult member, one rapes women and stuffs drugs up his ass, one consults witch trial rulings, one thinks racism doesn’t exist anymore, one uses the fake concept of textualism to vote along with the others, and the last is full on corruption dialed to 11 who hates everyone and everything associated with his race.

        Yeah, they might not think this one through.