A federal court in Louisiana on Tuesday blocked parts of the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about a broad level of content online, a ruling that would deal with false and misleading stories about the coronavirus pandemic and other issues. Can reduce the efforts of
In judgment, Judge Terry A. Doughty of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana said that parts of the government, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, cannot talk to social media companies “for this purpose.” solicit, encourage, coerce, or induce in any manner the removal, removal, suppression, or diminution of protected free speech material.
Judge Doughty granted the preliminary injunction, saying the agencies could not flag specific posts on the social media platforms or request reports about their efforts to remove the material. The ruling said the government could still notify platforms about posts detailing crimes, national security threats or foreign efforts to influence elections.
The decision was a victory for Republicans and other conservatives. filed a series of lawsuits The government accused Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media companies of inciting or coercing them to censor their critics. While the decision is likely to be appealed by the administration, its ramifications could be far-reaching, preventing platforms from reporting troubling content to government authorities, including law enforcement agencies.
Government officials have argued that they do not have the authority to order the removal of posts or entire accounts, but have long cooperated with Big Tech to crack down on illegal or harmful content, particularly child sexual abuse. or in cases of criminal activities such as human trafficking. He is also included regular meetings For example, sharing information about the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.
The White House did not immediately provide comment. Google and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Twitter did not immediately comment.
