A federal judge in Austin Wednesday blocked Texas' social media censorship law, which prohibits large social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from censoring users "Based on their political viewpoints." The law, known as House Bill 20, was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 9 and set to take effect Thursday.
Pitman called content moderation "The very tool that social media platforms employ to make their platforms safe, useful, and enjoyable for users."
Pitman also took issue with the law applying only to social media platforms with at least 50 million monthly users in the U.S., which he said would exclude platforms like Parler and other sports and news websites.
"This court is convinced that social media platforms, or at least those covered by HB 20, curate both users and content to convey a message about the type of community the platforms seeks to foster and, as such, exercise editorial discretion over their platform's content," Pitman wrote.
"Texas' law would have forced online platforms to pull the referees from social media sites, giving anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and insurrectionists free reign," Adama Kovacevich, head of tech group Chamber of Progress said in a statement to USA Today.
"Today's court decision is a big victory for social media users who want less hate speech and misinformation in their online communities."
In a September Washington Post op-ed, Abbott argued the need for the law "Has been apparent for years." He also voiced support for the measure in a Twitter video, saying "Freedom of speech is under attack in Texas. There is a dangerous movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values."
https://www.chron.com/politics/article/Texas-Greg-Abbott-social-media-censorship-law-16668725.php
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