A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a Texas law that prohibits social media companies with at least 50 million monthly active users from censoring users because of their political views and allows users or the Texas attorney general to sue to enforce the law.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling opens the door for the Supreme Court to rule on the law that conservatives and right-wing commentators say is necessary to prevent “Big Tech” from suppressing their views.
Others however believes it is a stumbling block for technology companies because it would turn platforms into safe havens for dangerous content.
NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Facebook, Twitter, and Google, have sought to retain the rights to monitor and control user content if they believe it could lead to violence, citing concerns that unregulated platforms will empower extremists such as Nazi supporters, terrorists, and hostile foreign governments.
On Friday, the association declared its opposition to requiring private companies to treat all viewpoints equally. “‘God Bless America’ and ‘Death to America’ are both viewpoints, and it is unwise and unconstitutional for the state of Texas to compel a private business to treat them equally,” the company said in a statement. It also said it will appeal to the Supreme Court, where it believes it has a stronger case.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.