Court ruling prompts fears of ‘Wild West of disinformation’

An order limiting the Biden administration’s communication with social media companies could make it harder to curb disinformation as the 2024 election nears.

A federal judge Tuesday curtailed communication between certain Biden administration agencies and social media companies after a GOP-led challenge to efforts to combat disinformation, arguing attempts to do so violated protected speech.

The ruling left experts concerned about a “chilling effect” on attempts to moderate false information online.

“If we end up with basically no meaningful content moderation, then it is going to be a Wild West of disinformation,” said Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation.