DeSantis signs ‘Big Tech’ bill with new speech rules for Twitter, Facebook

Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is positioning himself for reelection next year, signed legislation on Monday at Florida International University in Miami that aims to crack down on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon out of concern that they are conspiring against conservatives and their free speech.

The legislation, which DeSantis touted as the first of its kind in the nation, would, among other things, make it illegal for large technology companies to remove candidates for office from their platforms in the run-up to an election. It would also make it easier for Florida’s attorney general and individuals to sue “big tech.”

“These platforms have become our public square,” DeSantis said at a lectern with a sign that read “STOP Big Tech Censorship,” noting that “big tech oligarchs” have censored debates about the pandemic and policies that officials put in place to contain the deadly virus, such as lockdowns.

“Silicon Valley is acting as a council of censors; they cancel people when mobs come after somebody. They will pull them down,” he said.