SARASOTA – Whether big tech companies have the right to censor our social media posts is still a hot topic of debate among Democrats and Republicans.
A Florida State Representatives is looking to strip the rights of sites like Facebook and Twitter to do so.
In the days following the siege of the U.S. Capitol by pro Trump supporters, social media sites across the country began to permanently suspend former President Donald Trump’s accounts.
From Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and even Twitter one by one each disabling Trump’s accounts citing Trump’s rhetoric inspired protesters to riot.
“If you are censoring under the 1st Amendment of our Constitution then individuals, businesses and others would have a right under the private right of cause action to file a lawsuit,” said State Representative Greg Steube
Congressman Steube, representative of District 17th, is fighting back against deplatforming conservative voices – by introducing The Curbing Abuse and Saving Expression in Technology Act, or CASE-IT
“These big tech companies Facebook, Twitter, Google have immunity under the law, and I don’t think that’s appropriate,” said Rep. Steube. “You’re seeing people censored, you’re seeing the New York Post stories censored, you’re seeing organizations censored
In short, the CASE-IT Act would in part bring reform to Section 230, a controversial portion of the Communications Decency Act providing liability protections for social media companies.
Rep. Steube says his legislation would amend Section 230 in an effort to promote free speech online, while protecting children from dangerous content.
“You have private companies suppressing speech,” said Rep. Steube. “That’s not American, that’s not our way of life.”
Rep. Steube says both parties should be worried over how much control Big Tech companies have over censorship.
Sites such as Parler a popular site among conservatives expressed its commitment to free speech and refused to censor speech online on a partisan basis.
But Google, Amazon, and Apple have each restricted access to Parler in their respective App Stores.
“And that just shows you the power that these big tech companies have to suppress speech, to suppress other businesses, and suppress organization that’s not what America stands for,” said Rep. Steube.