WASHINGTON, DC, May 25 — Let the liar beware. Governor Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that gives Floridians the right to sue Big Tech social media companies that ban or censor free speech. The law would let the state’s residents sue them for up to $100,000 for each proven incident of misrepresented suppression. It is the first state to do so.
As he described it at a press conference yesterday, the new law will “ensure that ‘We the People’ — real Floridians across the Sunshine State — are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites. If Big Tech censors [or] enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable.”
It will also give Florida’s attorney general the power take to task companies that violate the law.
The law comes a month after DeSantis declared that there is “big tech, corporate-media collusion” and that what “we’re really witnessing is Orwellian.” After YouTube removed a video posted on the YouTube website, he made those remarks in which participants at a conference DeSantis hosted commented on kids wearing masks in school. The folks at YouTube are said to have pulled the video because the discussion at the conference allegedly contradicted the prevailing consensus of health officials.
Should a social media platform shut down a political candidate for statewide office in the state, the Florida Election Commission can impose fines of $250,000 per day.
“SB 7072 is a bold first step to reining in Big Tech tyranny by defending the rights of all Floridians in the digital space. Over the years, these platforms have changed from neutral platforms that provide Americans with the freedom to speak to enforcers of preferred narratives,” DeSantis explained.
Florida’s Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez participated in yesterday’s press conference declaring that the state “is taking back the virtual public square” and noting that “many of our constituents know the dangers of being silenced or have been silenced themselves under communist rule.”
Are you watching, Gov. Abbot?
I’m always very impressed with DeSantis! He talks the talk and walks the walk! His words have meaning and he is bound by those comments. I wish Florida wasn’t so hot would never have left if it weren’t for that! Republican run States allow “We the People” have the power to put through or deny these ridiculous Fake News intimidation.
The rest of the red states should fallow
We are next, right Governor Ducey
It is about damnned time!
Governor Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that gives Floridians the right to sue Big Tech social media companies that ban or censor free speech. YES!
President DeSantis 2024
These Social Media Companies made promises to congress when they received their 230 protection against Libel that they have since violated numerous times. Why have they not been sued on the basis of THOSE failures ? Remember killer and consummate criminal Al Capone went to jail on Tax Evasion charges……the moral here: who cares how we get them reined in, as long as we get them reined in. They need to be stopped because too many sheeple eat their lies up as gospel.
No hope for me with Governor “Do As I sSay Not as I do” Cuomo.
Good job Governor DeSantis. Every State should follow Florida’s example.
DeSantis is making the Constitution happen ~ finally a governor with cajones!!
Lets hope that more states will join Florida. We do still have a constitution that guarantees freedom of speech!
Hooray OK Red States apply law & then later Blue States
Texas needs to step up and fine Big Tech $10,000 a day for each person that they censor just because their speech does not align with Big Tech’s ideaology. That would probably be fines of about 2 billion per day. It would not take long to stop this insanity
I have no Constitutional objection to Big Tech refusing to publish speech they don’t like or agree with, but I heartily also believe they do not have the right to censor what speech is published. The regular media does this ad infinitum. In their case the public needs to not subscribe to their published paper. But we all know that in general, most public newspapers are for the most part liberal Democrat propaganda outlets.
Either a platform is an open medium for all or it needs its ‘protection’ removed.
I say, since FB is working on its 4th year of banning me, make it a $1,000,000 PER INCIDENT.
No appeal.
It would stop..
Every state needs this law desperately!