Florida Republicans move against social media companies
3 years, 8 months ago

Florida Republicans move against social media companies

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Concerned that social media companies were conspiring against conservatives, Florida Republicans sent a measure Thursday to Gov. The Republican governor had urged lawmakers to deliver the legislation to his desk as part of a broader effort to regulate Big Tech companies — in how they collect and use information they harvest from consumers and in how social media platforms treat their users. Republicans in Florida and elsewhere have accused the companies of censoring conservative thought on social media platforms by removing posts they consider inflammatory or using algorithms to reduce the visibility of posts that go against the grain of mainstream ideas. Now it’s catering to a specific company.” Republicans accuse social media companies of violating the free speech of conservatives or anyone whose ideas go against the mainstream.

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History of this topic

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Florida lawmakers pass ban on social media for kids under 16 despite constitutional concerns
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Florida lawmakers pass ban on social media for kids under 16 despite constitutional concerns

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill to create one of the nation’s most restrictive bans on minors’ use of social media is heading to Republican Florida Gov. The bill targets any social media site that tracks user activity, allows children to upload material and interact with others, and uses addictive features designed to cause excessive or compulsive use. “We’re talking about …

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

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 …

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 …

New research shows that Donald Trump's fascist attacks on democracy may have backfired
2 years ago

New research shows that Donald Trump's fascist attacks on democracy may have backfired

Raw Story  

The internet and social media are a type of experience machine. As many democracy experts and other observers have concluded, Trump's rise to power was empowered by the internet, social media, and how the American right wing has spent several decades creating a parallel media machine and other institutions that together function as a type of alternate universe for its …

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 …

Federal appeals court rules for social media companies in battle over content moderation
2 years, 7 months ago

Federal appeals court rules for social media companies in battle over content moderation

CNN  

Washington CNN Business — Key parts of a Florida law restricting social media platforms’ ability to moderate content likely violate the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, in a victory for the tech industry amid a wider battle over digital speech. The Florida law seeks to allow political candidates to sue social media platforms over allegations of censorship, …

Appeals court: Florida law on social media unconstitutional
2 years, 7 months ago

Appeals court: Florida law on social media unconstitutional

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida law intended to punish social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, dealing a major victory to companies who had been accused by GOP Gov. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded that it was overreach for DeSantis and the Republican-led Florida …

Texas asks Supreme Court to keep state social media censorship law in effect
2 years, 7 months ago

Texas asks Supreme Court to keep state social media censorship law in effect

CNN  

Washington CNN Business — The Supreme Court should allow a sweeping Texas law to remain in effect that restricts the ability of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to moderate their platforms, according to the state’s attorney general. In a filing to the Court on Wednesday, Texas argued that its law, HB 20, which prohibits large social media firms from blocking, banning …

Musk’s ‘free speech’ push for Twitter: Repeating history?
2 years, 8 months ago

Musk’s ‘free speech’ push for Twitter: Repeating history?

Associated Press  

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is spending $44 billion to acquire Twitter with the stated aim of turning it into a haven for “free speech.” There’s just one problem: The social platform has been down this road before, and it didn’t end well. Musk appeared to criticize Twitter’s permanent ban of President Donald Trump last year for messages that …

Ex-US President Obama Blames Social Media for 'Weakening of Democracy' Around the World
2 years, 8 months ago

Ex-US President Obama Blames Social Media for 'Weakening of Democracy' Around the World

News 18  

Former President Barack Obama has claimed that the way people consume and share information is eroding democracy around the world, and he blamed the current information ecology, which is fueled by social media corporations, for “turbocharging some of humanity’s worst impulses”. Obama said social media companies’ decisions regarding content moderation and the use of algorithms to rank posts “have made …

Trump's social media site hits the app store a year after he was banned from Twitter
2 years, 10 months ago

Trump's social media site hits the app store a year after he was banned from Twitter

NPR  

Trump's social media site hits the app store a year after he was banned from Twitter Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images Truth Social, the fledgling social media platform created by former President Donald Trump that bills itself as "free from political discrimination," launched Monday. Sponsor Message Truth Social joins a …

Haugen urges lawmakers to avert impasse on social media laws
3 years, 1 month ago

Haugen urges lawmakers to avert impasse on social media laws

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen implored lawmakers Wednesday to avert the usual congressional stalemates as they weigh proposals to curb abuses on social media platforms by limiting the companies’ free-speech protections against legal liability. Enacted when many of the most powerful social media companies didn’t even exist, the law allowed companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to …

Trump sues Facebook, Twitter and Google over social media bans
3 years, 6 months ago

Trump sues Facebook, Twitter and Google over social media bans

Al Jazeera  

Former US President Donald Trump filed three separate class-action lawsuits against the tech giants in federal court in Florida on Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump sued Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and their chief executives, raising the stakes in his battle against social media giants who have blocked him. Billing the effort during a Wednesday press conference as …

Opinion: Trump’s meritless lawsuits don’t stand a chance
3 years, 6 months ago

Opinion: Trump’s meritless lawsuits don’t stand a chance

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo, an associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University, is the author of “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication.” She was spokeswoman for international affairs in the Treasury Department during the Obama administration. CNN — On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump announced that he would file …

GOP pushes bills to allow social media ‘censorship’ lawsuits
3 years, 10 months ago

GOP pushes bills to allow social media ‘censorship’ lawsuits

Associated Press  

Republican state lawmakers are pushing for social media giants to face costly lawsuits for policing content on their websites, taking aim at a federal law that prevents internet companies from being sued for removing posts. “And the idea that you would create a cause of action that would allow people to sue when that happens is deeply problematic under the …

Column: The drive to regulate social media is about partisan politics — and it won’t work
3 years, 11 months ago

Column: The drive to regulate social media is about partisan politics — and it won’t work

LA Times  

Based on the chatter in the corridors of political power and from elite intellectuals these days, one can’t help concluding that Twitter, Facebook and their social media cousins rank as the civilized world’s leading threats to democracy. The Information, a technology website, ponders “How to Curb Tech Executives’ Power.” Yaël Eisenstat, a former CIA officer, White House advisor, and overseer …

Trump backers seek online refuges after big tech backlash
3 years, 11 months ago

Trump backers seek online refuges after big tech backlash

Associated Press  

Online supporters of President Donald Trump are scattering to smaller social media platforms, fleeing what they say is unfair treatment by Facebook, Twitter and other big tech firms looking to squelch misinformation and threats of violence. “We’re going to see less opportunity to radicalize new people” on mainstream platforms, Kate Starbird, a leading misinformation expert at the University of Washington …

Why Big Tech and Conservatives Are Clashing on Free Speech
3 years, 11 months ago

Why Big Tech and Conservatives Are Clashing on Free Speech

Bloomberg  

When Twitter banned President Donald Trump after a mob he had encouraged stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the White House fell into an unusual social media silence. But the company’s move, followed by actions by Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon to cut off individual users or social media platforms they saw as inciting violence, turned a long-simmering feud …

Column: Did tech companies go too far in banning President Trump? The answer is no
4 years ago

Column: Did tech companies go too far in banning President Trump? The answer is no

LA Times  

President Trump at the rally Wednesday that touched off his followers’ attack on the Capitol. In permanently suspending Trump’s @realDonaldTrump account Friday, Twitter cited his incitement of the violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, as well as “the risk of further incitement of violence.” The platform’s action, coming as it did at the very tail end of …

Social platforms flex their power, lock down Trump accounts
4 years ago

Social platforms flex their power, lock down Trump accounts

Associated Press  

After years of treating President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric with a light touch, Facebook and Instagram are silencing his social media accounts for the rest of his presidency. Snapchat on Wednesday locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.” Twitch, the live-streaming site owned by Amazon and used by Trump’s campaign to stream speeches, disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office, saying it didn’t …

‘It’s not social media, it’s Trump Media’: 5 key points from Donald Trump’s phone call
4 years ago

‘It’s not social media, it’s Trump Media’: 5 key points from Donald Trump’s phone call

Hindustan Times  

US President Donald Trump on Sunday was recorded on call by Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, putting pressure on the state secretary and his legal counsel to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state. US President Donald Trump was recorded on call by Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, putting pressure on the …

Twitter, Facebook CEOs vow election action; GOP touts curbs
4 years, 1 month ago

Twitter, Facebook CEOs vow election action; GOP touts curbs

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — As the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook gave assurances of vigorous action against election disinformation, Republicans at a Senate hearing Tuesday pounded the social media companies over political bias, business practices and market dominance, laying the ground for curbs on their long-held legal protections. Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, asked Zuckerberg: “At what point will you …

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling
4 years, 1 month ago

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The CEOs of Facebook and Twitter are being summoned before Congress to defend their handling of disinformation in the 2020 presidential election, even as lawmakers questioning them are deeply divided over the election’s integrity and results. Fight hard.” Both Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey promised lawmakers last month that they would aggressively guard their platforms from …

Social media slow to crack down on users rallying against vote-counting
4 years, 2 months ago

Social media slow to crack down on users rallying against vote-counting

LA Times  

A Stop the Steal Facebook group created by Republican operatives grew to hundreds of thousands of members before Facebook shut it down Thursday. The “Stop the Steal” phrase first gained traction on social media on election day and was boosted that night, when Trump tweeted the unsubstantiated claim that “they” are “trying to STEAL the election.” On Wednesday, variations on …

Social media CEOs rebuff bias claims, vow to defend election
4 years, 2 months ago

Social media CEOs rebuff bias claims, vow to defend election

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Under fire from President Donald Trump and his allies, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google rebuffed accusations of anti-conservative bias at a Senate hearing Wednesday and promised to aggressively defend their platforms from being used to sow chaos in next week’s election. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the committee’s chairman, said at the start of the hearing that …

Social media CEOs to face grilling from Republican senators
4 years, 2 months ago

Social media CEOs to face grilling from Republican senators

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Less than a week before Election Day, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google are set to be grilled by Republican senators making unfounded allegations that the tech giants show anti-conservative bias. With the election looming, Republicans led by President Donald Trump have thrown a barrage of grievances at Big Tech’s social media platforms, which they accuse without …

Social media CEOs grilled about bias, misinformation and censorship
4 years, 2 months ago

Social media CEOs grilled about bias, misinformation and censorship

LA Times  

Twitter, Facebook and Google CEOs are facing a grilling by GOP senators on the premise that the tech giants show anti-conservative bias. Three of the biggest names in digital media — Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey — spoke before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about Section …

Threat to democracy? Tech CEOs in hot seat over liability shield
4 years, 2 months ago

Threat to democracy? Tech CEOs in hot seat over liability shield

Al Jazeera  

The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet Inc are testifying before a United States Senate committee on Wednesday over the protections they have under the Communications Decency Act. The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet Inc are set to testify virtually before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday over whether to repeal a section …

Section 230: Why the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter are testifying before the Senate this week
4 years, 2 months ago

Section 230: Why the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter are testifying before the Senate this week

CNN  

CNN Business — A right-wing offensive is underway to discredit social media companies just days before the election. In calling for the subpoenas earlier this month, Sen. Ted Cruz blasted tech platforms for “actively interfering in this election in a way that has no precedent in the history of our country.” “Twitter and Facebook and Big Tech billionaires don’t get …

Facebook, Twitter CEOs ordered to testify by GOP senators
4 years, 2 months ago

Facebook, Twitter CEOs ordered to testify by GOP senators

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The GOP push against Facebook and Twitter accelerated Thursday after Republican senators threatened the CEOs of the social media companies with subpoenas to force them to address accusations of censorship in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign. With Democrats boycotting the hearing, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize the legal orders if Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg …

Facebook, Twitter CEOs ordered to testify by GOP senators
4 years, 2 months ago

Facebook, Twitter CEOs ordered to testify by GOP senators

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The GOP push against Facebook and Twitter accelerated Thursday after …

Twitter and Facebook bosses ordered to testify by GOP senators
4 years, 2 months ago

Twitter and Facebook bosses ordered to testify by GOP senators

Al Jazeera  

The GOP push against Facebook and Twitter accelerated on Thursday after Republican senators threatened the CEOs of the social media companies with subpoenas to force them to address accusations of censorship in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign. With Democrats boycotting the hearing, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorise the legal orders if Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and …

Twitter’s new policy on labeling tweets provides ‘context, not fact-checking’
4 years, 7 months ago

Twitter’s new policy on labeling tweets provides ‘context, not fact-checking’

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN Business — Twitter hasdefended its policy of labeling tweets that are potentially misleading or which glorify violence, days after it began applying such warnings to President Donald Trump’s posts for the first time. The company said in a series of tweets Tuesday thatitwants to promote healthy public conversations by decreasing the “potential for likely harm.” Twitter will …

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