Headline Roundup • May 24th, 2021
New Florida Law Seeks to Regulate Speech Moderation on Social Media
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a law Monday aimed at regulating how social media companies moderate speech on their platforms. The law will fine social media platforms if they permanently ban political candidates in Florida; allow people to sue those companies if they feel they've been unfairly deplatformed; and prevent companies from removing content from news outlets above a certain size. DeSantis said the law will ensure Floridians "are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites." Some First Amendment experts say the law is likely to be challenged on the premise that it would compel speech from private companies, in violation of their First Amendment rights.
Coverage was present across the political spectrum, but more prominent from right-rated outlets. Reports from left- and center-rated sources highlighted the law's objectives, as well as concerns about its constitutionality. Coverage from right-rated sources tended to concentrate more on the legislation's language and support for it.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Miami Herald
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...
Axios
Florida Monday became the first state in the U.S. to broadly regulate social media platforms' moderation of user speech online.
Driving the news: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law fining social media services that permanently ban candidates running for office in Florida.
The law also prevents platforms from removing content from news outlets above a certain size.
It allows people to sue platforms if they think social media companies are inconsistently applying their content rules.
Yes, but: Legal experts expect the law to face constitutional challenges.
Corbin Barthold, internet policy counsel at tech...
Newsmax (News)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, on Monday signed a bill that allows "any person to sue Big Tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages" for "deplatforming."
"This session, we took action to ensure that ‘We the People’ — real Floridians across the Sunshine State — are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites," DeSantis said in a statement. "Many in our state have experienced censorship and other tyrannical behavior firsthand in Cuba and Venezuela. If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley...
