Elon Musk’s social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against the state of California over a law that requires social media companies to publish their policies for removing offensive content such as hate speech, misinformation, and harassment. The legislation, signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, has been challenged by X Corp. on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit argues that the law forces companies to engage in speech against their will and interferes with their constitutionally-protected editorial judgments.
The California Assembly bill 587 mandates that social media platforms not only post their content moderation policies, which they already do, but also submit a report to the state twice a year detailing how they address issues such as hate speech, racism, misinformation, and foreign political interference. X Corp.’s lawsuit claims that this law pressures companies to remove or demonetize speech that is protected by the Constitution. The lawsuit has been filed in the Eastern District Court of California against state Attorney General Robert Bonta.
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022, he has made significant changes to the platform’s content moderation system. He has laid off workers responsible for filtering out problematic content and reinstated accounts that were banned for hate speech, promoting Nazi and white nationalist material, and harassing users. In addition, Musk disbanded the Trust and Safety Council, a key advisory group made up of independent civil and human rights organizations, which was originally formed by Twitter in 2016 to address various problems on the platform.
Musk has identified himself as a “free speech absolutist,” although he has shown sensitivity to critical speech directed at him or his companies. Last year, he suspended the accounts of several journalists who covered his takeover of Twitter. X Corp.’s lawsuit against the state of California is seen as a continuation of Musk’s efforts to resist content moderation and maintain a platform that allows for unrestricted speech.
The bill’s author, Democratic Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, argues that the legislation is simply a transparency measure that requires companies to be transparent about their content moderation practices. He emphasizes that it does not mandate specific content moderation policies and passed with bipartisan support. Gabriel believes that if Twitter has nothing to hide, they should have no objection to the bill.
Representatives for X Corp. and the attorney general’s office have not yet responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit. The outcome of this legal battle will have significant implications for the regulation of social media platforms and their ability to moderate content.
Original Story at www.usnews.com – 2023-09-08 21:35:00