{"id":288999,"date":"2021-07-01T22:47:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T19:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/judge-blocks-florida-law-on-social-media-censorship\/"},"modified":"2021-07-01T22:47:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T19:47:49","slug":"judge-blocks-florida-law-on-social-media-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/judge-blocks-florida-law-on-social-media-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"#Judge blocks Florida law on social media ‘censorship’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Judge blocks Florida law on social media<\/a> ‘censorship’<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\n A judge blocked a Florida law that would have prevented social media app<\/a>s from taking down content from political candidates.
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A federal judge has blocked a Florida law which sought to prevent social media firms from taking down content from political candidates, saying the measure was “wholly at odds with accepted constitutional principles” of free speech.<\/p>\n

Judge Robert Hinkle, in a ruling late Wednesday, said the law passed by the Florida legislature and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis distorted the idea of free-speech protections by placing restrictions on certain social media platforms for moderating content.<\/p>\n

The measure was approved by the state in response to the “de-platforming” of former president Donald Trump and others by large social media firms which critics claim were biased against conservatives and were “censoring” content.<\/p>\n

But the judge said the law offered only vague definitions of platforms affected and turned upside-down the notion of First Amendment speech protection in the constitution.<\/p>\n

“The state has asserted it is on the side of the First Amendment… It is perhaps a nice sound bite. But the assertion is wholly at odds with accepted constitutional principles,” the judge said in a 31-page opinion backing an injunction against the law.<\/p>\n

“The First Amendment does not restrict the rights of private entities not performing traditional, exclusive public functions.”<\/p>\n

The judge added that the legislation “was an effort to rein in social-media providers deemed too large and too liberal. Balancing the exchange of ideas among private speakers is not a legitimate governmental interest.”<\/p>\n

The law would impose fines of $250,000 a day if social media firms remove an account of a statewide political candidate.<\/p>\n

It also allows Floridians to sue technology<\/a> firms if they face “unfair” treatment.<\/p>\n

Matt Schruers of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech industry trade group which joined the lawsuit, welcomed the ruling.<\/p>\n

“This decision upholding the constitution and federal law is encouraging, and reaffirms what we have been saying: Florida’s statute is an extraordinary overreach, designed to penalize private businesses for their perceived lack of deference to the government’s political ideology.”\n <\/p>\n\n

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Trump can’t block his critics on Twitter, judge rules<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2021 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Judge blocks Florida law on social media ‘censorship’ (2021, July 1)
\n retrieved 1 July 2021
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news<\/a>\/2021-07-blocks-florida-law-social-media.html<\/p>\n

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