Opinion: How the Supreme Court should rule on Texas and Florida laws against social media moderation
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: How the Supreme Court should rule on Texas and Florida laws against social media moderation

LA Times  

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in two cases that could have a profound effect on the future of the internet and social media. The cases — NetChoice vs. Paxton and Moody vs. NetChoice — involve laws in Texas and Florida that prohibit social media companies from removing content from their platforms, clearly violating the 1st Amendment rights of private companies. The Texas law bars social media platforms with at least 50 million active users — such as Facebook, X and YouTube — from removing content based on the views expressed. In considering the Texas law, however, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that social media companies are, like phone companies, “common carriers” and can therefore be prevented from removing content. An alternative is to prohibit content moderation, requiring social media platforms to carry everything unless it falls into narrow categories of speech that is not protected by the Constitution.

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History of this topic

Social-media companies decide content moderation is trending down
1 day, 19 hours ago

Social-media companies decide content moderation is trending down

Live Mint  

Social-media companies never wanted to aggressively police content on their platforms. Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta Platforms will end fact-checking and remove speech restrictions across Facebook and Instagram shows how Donald Trump’s presidential election, and the U.S. political winds that swept him into a second term, have sharply accelerated a move by social-media giants away from refereeing what is said …

Meta Follows Elon Musk’s Lead, Moves Staffers to Billionaire-Friendly Texas
55 years ago

Meta Follows Elon Musk’s Lead, Moves Staffers to Billionaire-Friendly Texas

Wired  

With just under two weeks left until former president Donald Trump becomes President Donald Trump, Meta has announced that the company will be fully moving its trust and safety teams—the people responsible for enforcing policies around hate speech and disinformation—to Texas. The decision, said CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Threads, “will help remove the concern that biased employees …

Need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media: Vaishnaw
1 month, 1 week ago

Need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media: Vaishnaw

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The government is mulling stringent laws to check vulgar content on social media posts and other platforms like over-the-top or OTT, saying that such platforms are required to appoint grievance officers and set up a mechanism for addressing user complaints. "There is a need to make existing laws more stringent laws to curb vulgar content on social media …

Social media firms state their case
2 months, 1 week ago

Social media firms state their case

Politico  

Social media firms state their case TECH MAZE Florida AG Ashley Moody is defending a state law restricting kids' social media access in court. | AP Photo Tech giants sued Florida on Monday, attempting to overturn a state law requiring social media applications to restrict children’s access. The groups contend that the law, a top priority for outgoing Republican state …

California lawmakers continue push to regulate social media despite legal hurdles
5 months, 2 weeks ago

California lawmakers continue push to regulate social media despite legal hurdles

LA Times  

Legislation being considered in California would prohibit social media companies from sending children notifications at night and during school hours. “We need to act now to protect our children,” Bonta said earlier this year, by “strengthening data privacy protections for minors and safeguarding youth against social media addiction.” California Gov. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized to those attending a …

Free Speech v. Digital Disinformation: How Is State Intervention In Social Media Content Moderation Being Navigated In USA & India
6 months ago

Free Speech v. Digital Disinformation: How Is State Intervention In Social Media Content Moderation Being Navigated In USA & India

Live Law  

Recently, the United States Supreme Court in Moody v. NetChoice, LLC refrained from issuing what could have been a landmark judgment on a pivotal issue: whether states can enact laws that limit the power of social media companies to moderate content. This case revolved around the constitutionality of laws enacted by Texas and Florida that aimed to restrict social media …

US Supreme Court sidesteps dispute on state laws regulating social media
6 months, 1 week ago

US Supreme Court sidesteps dispute on state laws regulating social media

Hindustan Times  

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sidestepped making a decision on the legality of Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas designed to restrict the power of social media companies to curb content that the platforms deem objectionable. The justices unanimously threw out separate judicial decisions involving challenges brought by tech industry trade groups to the two laws under the U.S. …

The Supreme Court casts doubt on Florida and Texas laws to regulate social media platforms
6 months, 1 week ago

The Supreme Court casts doubt on Florida and Texas laws to regulate social media platforms

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday kept on hold efforts by Texas and Florida to limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users in a ruling that strongly defended the platforms’ free speech rights. “The court’s recognition that the government cannot control social media in an effort to impose its …

State social media laws aimed at protecting conservative users remain blocked, Supreme Court says
6 months, 1 week ago

State social media laws aimed at protecting conservative users remain blocked, Supreme Court says

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to settle the major constitutional questions raised in a blockbuster dispute over laws approved in Texas and Florida intended to protect conservative viewpoints on social media, meaning the laws will remain blocked for now while lower courts continue to sort out the constitutional questions involved. Kagan’s opinion, however, reserved special criticism …

Supreme Court puts off ruling on whether state social media laws violate the 1st Amendment
6 months, 1 week ago

Supreme Court puts off ruling on whether state social media laws violate the 1st Amendment

LA Times  

The Supreme Court on Monday said it is putting off a ruling for now on whether social media laws adopted by Florida and Texas violate the 1st Amendment. The Florida and Texas laws under review arose from complaints three years ago that President Trump had been discriminated against or unfairly blocked by social media sites, including Twitter. Ron DeSantis signed …

The Supreme Court nears the end of another momentous term. A decision on Trump’s immunity looms
6 months, 1 week ago

The Supreme Court nears the end of another momentous term. A decision on Trump’s immunity looms

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — In the last 10 days of June, on a frenetic pace of its own making, the Supreme Court touched a wide swath of American society in a torrent of decisions on abortion, guns, the environment, health, the opioid crisis, securities fraud and homelessness. The court also will decide whether state laws limiting how social media platforms regulate content …

Supreme Court Rules That US Government Can Continue Talking to Social Media Companies
55 years ago

Supreme Court Rules That US Government Can Continue Talking to Social Media Companies

Wired  

Today, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision that the plaintiffs who'd sued the US government for allegedly violating the First Amendment—by communicating with social media companies about misleading and harmful content on their platforms—did not present enough evidence to prove that they had standing to sue. Specifically, the case alleged that government agencies like the Centers for Disease …

Supreme Court sides with Biden administration in social media dispute with conservative states
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Supreme Court sides with Biden administration in social media dispute with conservative states

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security. AP AUDIO: The Supreme Court rules for Biden administration in a social media dispute with conservative states AP Washington correspondent Sagar …

Supreme Court dismisses Republican suit claiming Biden administration censored social media
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Supreme Court dismisses Republican suit claiming Biden administration censored social media

LA Times  

The U.S. Supreme Court in a 6-3 vote threw out a claim alleging the right to free speech was being violated by the Biden administration. The Supreme Court on Wednesday cast aside claims that the Biden administration has been censoring conservatives by pressing social media sites to take down dangerous misinformation. The ruling throws out a broad court order issued …

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies
6 months, 3 weeks ago

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies

NPR  

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies toggle caption Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images The Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday that the government can communicate with social media companies about controversial content sidestepped deciding when such communications can violate the First Amendment. Wednesday's ruling in Murthy v. Missouri found the plaintiffs didn't show …

Opinion: There’s a clear way to regulate Facebook, TikTok and other social media
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: There’s a clear way to regulate Facebook, TikTok and other social media

LA Times  

Powerful technology has perhaps never presented a bigger set of regulatory challenges for the U.S. government. Congress can create an independent authority responsible for establishing and enforcing baseline safety and privacy rules for social media companies. At minimum, companies would be banned from accepting payment from terrorist groups looking to verify social media accounts, as the Tech Transparency Project found …

Editorial: Supreme Court should affirm that government complaints are not free speech violations
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: Supreme Court should affirm that government complaints are not free speech violations

LA Times  

The Supreme Court is considering whether the government violates the 1st Amendment when it presses internet platforms to remove or restrict misinformation. In one of several internet-related cases considered by the court this term, a lawyer for Louisiana and Missouri and some individuals defended an injunction saying that federal officials, including White House staffers, the surgeon general and FBI employees, …

Supreme Court seems favorable to Biden administration over efforts to combat social media posts
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Supreme Court seems favorable to Biden administration over efforts to combat social media posts

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Monday to side with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security in a case that could set standards for free speech in the digital age. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also signaled …

Supreme Court examines whether government can combat disinformation online
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Supreme Court examines whether government can combat disinformation online

NPR  

Supreme Court examines whether government can combat disinformation online Enlarge this image toggle caption Catie Dull/NPR Catie Dull/NPR In a major case testing the role of the First Amendment in the internet age, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday hears arguments focused on the federal government's ability to combat what it sees as false, misleading or dangerous information online. That's …

Why the Supreme Court Is So Uniquely Awful at Tech Cases
55 years ago

Why the Supreme Court Is So Uniquely Awful at Tech Cases

Slate  

Among the election cases blowing up this Supreme Court term, several cases dealing with online speech could have a major impact on the tidal wave of disinformation that already threatens to wash away sense and truth in 2024. You’re talking about the two Netchoice cases, Netchoice v. Paxton and Moody v. Netchoice, that are challenging these laws passed in Texas …

Here’s why a SCOTUS ruling on social media rules matters to so many people
10 months, 1 week ago

Here’s why a SCOTUS ruling on social media rules matters to so many people

CNN  

These are just some of the widely used online platforms that US Supreme Court justices said this week could be massively disrupted by a pair of Texas and Florida laws that are purportedly aimed at social media, but that could have vast unintended consequences for the rest of the digital economy. But in scrutinizing the laws’ scope and First Amendment …

The US Supreme Court Holds the Future of the Internet in Its Hands
55 years ago

The US Supreme Court Holds the Future of the Internet in Its Hands

Wired  

The US Supreme Court seems torn over whether to trigger a radical transformation of the internet. The nation’s highest court heard arguments Monday over state laws in Florida and Texas that restrict how platforms like Facebook and YouTube moderate speech. Florida and Texas passed the laws under debate in 2021, not long after social media platforms booted former president Donald …

'We don't want insurrectionists': Justice Kagan blows up on Florida's social media law
10 months, 2 weeks ago

'We don't want insurrectionists': Justice Kagan blows up on Florida's social media law

Raw Story  

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan grilled Florida solicitor Henry Whitaker over laws that would prevent social media companies from taking down objectionable content during oral arguments at the Court on Monday. "I mean, we point out in our brief that when we think that if you had a, an internet platform that indeed had a platform driven message, was selective …

Supreme Court casts doubt on GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Supreme Court casts doubt on GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. Next month, the court will hear an appeal from Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing administration officials of pressuring social media companies to silence conservative points of view. Social media …

Supreme Court questions whether Texas and Florida can regulate social media to ‘protect’ speech
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Supreme Court questions whether Texas and Florida can regulate social media to ‘protect’ speech

LA Times  

The conservative Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether Texas and Florida, the two largest Republican states, can regulate what appears on social media sites. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagreed, saying the two states were defending free speech against “censorship.” Thomas said the social media sites act as “common carriers” for speech, similar to telephone companies, …

Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s arguments on Texas and Florida’s social media laws and the First Amendment
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s arguments on Texas and Florida’s social media laws and the First Amendment

CNN  

CNN — The Supreme Court expressed skepticism Monday about state laws in Texas and Florida designed to stop social media giants from throttling conservative views but also suggested that whatever decision emerges may not be the court’s final word on the significant First Amendment questions raised by the case. The justices struggled with sweeping First Amendment questions about whether social …

Supreme Court questions Florida and Texas social media laws on First Amendment grounds
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Supreme Court questions Florida and Texas social media laws on First Amendment grounds

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Supreme Court on Monday appeared to have deep concerns of state laws enacted in Florida and Texas that would prohibit social media platforms from throttling certain political viewpoints. Justice Samuel Alito pressed a lawyer representing the Biden administration on why, when a social media company throttles a view, that shouldn’t be described as “censorship” rather than …

Musk’s X fails to block California content moderation law
1 year ago

Musk’s X fails to block California content moderation law

LA Times  

Elon Musk’s X Corp. lost its effort in court to block a California law that seeks to control toxic posts on social media by requiring companies to disclose their content-moderation polices. In an eight-page ruling Thursday, a federal judge in Sacramento rejected arguments by the company formerly known as Twitter that the measure violates the free-speech rights of social media …

The Supreme Court Is Reconsidering Its Entire Approach to the Internet. Uh-Oh.
1 year, 1 month ago

The Supreme Court Is Reconsidering Its Entire Approach to the Internet. Uh-Oh.

Slate  

This is part of Opening Arguments, Slate’s coverage of the start of the latest Supreme Court term. By the end of next June, the Supreme Court will decide whether state laws compelling social media platforms to carry content they would otherwise exclude violate the platforms’ free speech rights, whether federal agencies and officials have unlawfully coerced platforms to remove posts …

Supreme Court will decide Biden-GOP clash over social media and COVID disinformation
1 year, 2 months ago

Supreme Court will decide Biden-GOP clash over social media and COVID disinformation

LA Times  

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a second major case on social media and will decide whether the Biden White House violated the 1st Amendment when it urged platforms to take down “misinformation and disinformation” about COVID-19. “Government censorship of private speech is antithetical to our democratic form of government,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined by Justices Clarence …

Supreme Court to hear court ban on government contact with social media companies
1 year, 2 months ago

Supreme Court to hear court ban on government contact with social media companies

NPR  

Supreme Court to hear court ban on government contact with social media companies Enlarge this image Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a lower court decision that barred White House officials and a broad array of other government employees at key agencies from contact with social media companies. In the meantime, …

The Supreme Court will decide if state laws limiting social media platforms violate the Constitution
1 year, 3 months ago

The Supreme Court will decide if state laws limiting social media platforms violate the Constitution

The Hindu  

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. The justices had already agreed to decide whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in a case involving then-President Donald Trump. Separately, …

The Supreme Court Will Decide if Texas Is Allowed to Kill the Internet
1 year, 3 months ago

The Supreme Court Will Decide if Texas Is Allowed to Kill the Internet

Slate  

This is part of Opening Arguments, Slate’s coverage of the start of the latest Supreme Court term. The answer, which lies at the heart of a pair of cases the Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday, could fundamentally alter the nature and operation of social media platforms and the internet itself. Reacting to complaints from the political right that …

The Supreme Court will decide if state laws limiting social media platforms violate the Constitution
1 year, 3 months ago

The Supreme Court will decide if state laws limiting social media platforms violate the Constitution

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether state laws that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms violate the Constitution. The justices had already agreed to decide whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in a case involving then-President Donald Trump. …

Supreme Court will decide if Texas and Florida can regulate social media to protect ‘conservative speech’
1 year, 3 months ago

Supreme Court will decide if Texas and Florida can regulate social media to protect ‘conservative speech’

LA Times  

The Supreme Court said Friday it will rule on how the 1st Amendment applies to social media and decide whether Texas and Florida can impose heavy fines on Facebook, YouTube and other popular sites for allegedly discriminating against conservatives. Ron DeSantis said his state’s law would hold accountable the “Big Tech censors” who “discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon …

Opinion: When is it wrong to urge social media platforms to take down false information?
1 year, 3 months ago

Opinion: When is it wrong to urge social media platforms to take down false information?

LA Times  

A decision on Friday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit puts in jeopardy one of the few tools that exist to deal with false speech on the internet. The court ruled that the White House, the FBI, the surgeon general’s office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cannot communicate with …

Elon Musk’s social media site X sues California over the state’s content moderation law
1 year, 4 months ago

Elon Musk’s social media site X sues California over the state’s content moderation law

Associated Press  

Elon Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter has sued the state of California over a law requiring social media companies to publish their policies for removing offending material such as hate speech, misinformation and harassment. In a lawsuit filed Friday against state Attorney General Robert Bonta, X Corp. challenges the “constitutionality and legal validity” of the law, saying …

Supreme Court warns social media users to be more careful of its impact and reach
1 year, 4 months ago

Supreme Court warns social media users to be more careful of its impact and reach

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court has said social media users should be careful about its impact and reach as it dismissed a petition filed by actor and former Tamil Nadu MLA S. Ve Shekher, who is facing cases for sharing a Facebook post in 2018 allegedly containing derogatory remarks against women journalists. "If one uses social media, then he should be more …

Can’t have media censorship, but effective self-regulation must: SC
1 year, 4 months ago

Can’t have media censorship, but effective self-regulation must: SC

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Monday said it is wary about the government regulating media, and would not want “pre- or post-censorship of media” by the state, but added that self-regulatory mechanisms for media should be made strong and effective. Datar told the bench that the high court’s observations against NBA would be detrimental to the body’s status, for it administers …

It’s Hard to Overstate How Awful the Latest Injunction Against the Biden Administration Is
1 year, 6 months ago

It’s Hard to Overstate How Awful the Latest Injunction Against the Biden Administration Is

Slate  

This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy. But if that’s right, then the plaintiffs’ supposed “injuries” weren’t caused by the conduct they’re challenging, and they’re also not redressable by an injunction barring the government from communicating with the social media companies. Start with the pedantic: The introduction …

Injunction blocks Biden administration from working with social media firms about ‘protected speech’
1 year, 6 months ago

Injunction blocks Biden administration from working with social media firms about ‘protected speech’

LA Times  

A judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about “protected speech,” a decision called “a blow to censorship” by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems …

Explainer: Why Supreme Court tiptoeing past Section 230 helps Big Tech fueled by social media
1 year, 7 months ago

Explainer: Why Supreme Court tiptoeing past Section 230 helps Big Tech fueled by social media

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Those moves, coming three months …

Reclaiming The Freedom Of Speech And Expression In An Orwellian Dystopia
1 year, 8 months ago

Reclaiming The Freedom Of Speech And Expression In An Orwellian Dystopia

Live Law  

The median age of this graduating class, I'm guessing, is 23. The India Press Freedom Report 2020 by the Rights & Risks Analysis Group documented the targeting of at least 228 journalists and media houses through FIRs, show cause notices requiring appearance during lockdowns, detention and questioning by the police without registration of any formal case. On 7 March 2022, …

The GOP, the Supreme Court and social media: This won't end well
1 year, 10 months ago

The GOP, the Supreme Court and social media: This won't end well

Salon  

Republicans are eager to stop social media companies from removing COVID-19 misinformation posts, flagging Stop the Steal rhetoric, banning racist users and purging propaganda bots. But Section 230 isn't just the law that protects Twitter from being sued every time Dril dunks on Republicans; it's also what holds together the internet as we know it. The protections of Section 230 …

California lawmakers take aim at social media role in youth fentanyl use and sex trafficking
1 year, 10 months ago

California lawmakers take aim at social media role in youth fentanyl use and sex trafficking

LA Times  

How much responsibility do social media platforms bear when people use them to sell kids a deadly dose of fentanyl, pay teenagers to livestream stripteases or recruit minors who are sold for sex? They’re focusing on some of the most frightening uses of apps many teens report using “almost constantly.” One bill would hold social media companies liable for promoting …

IT Ministry notifies officials to hear social media complaint appeals
1 year, 11 months ago

IT Ministry notifies officials to hear social media complaint appeals

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday notified nine officials to act as members of the Grievance Appellate Committees set up by the Union government, to hear appeals by social media users. The committees, which were formulated under a 2022 amendment of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, will be able to pass orders to ask social media platforms …

US appeals court bars social media cos’ right to regulate online speech: Report
2 years, 3 months ago

US appeals court bars social media cos’ right to regulate online speech: Report

Live Mint  

A United States appeals court on Friday upheld a Texas law that reportedly bars large social media companies from banning or censoring users based on “viewpoint,” a setback for technology industry groups that say the measure would turn platforms into bastions of dangerous content, according to Reuters report. Judge Andrew Oldham, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote in …

Court rules in favor of Texas law on social media regulation
2 years, 3 months ago

Court rules in favor of Texas law on social media regulation

Associated Press  

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal appeals court Friday ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter in a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of censoring conservative speech. “We remain convinced that when the U.S. Supreme Court hears one of our cases, it will uphold the First Amendment rights of websites, …

California 1st to make firms disclose social media policies
2 years, 3 months ago

California 1st to make firms disclose social media policies

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will impose first-of-its-kind requirements on social media companies to publish their policies for removing disturbing content including hate speech, with details on how and when they remove that content, under a bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. “California will not stand by as social media is weaponized to spread hate and disinformation that threaten our …

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