Florida's Not Allowed to Stop Social Media Companies From Banning Politicians

A court of appeals upheld an order to block a Florida law that would have allowed politicians to file lawsuits against online platforms if they were to be banned.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court's ruling that the Florida law was unconstitutional just hours before it was supposed to take effect. The First Amendment protects the actions of social media companies. Some of the law's provisions, such as allowing those who have been banned from the social media platforms to access their data for up to 60 days, could still be enforced.

The law was first proposed in January of 2021. If a candidate for statewide political office was removed from a social media platform, a $25,000 fine would be imposed. The law allowed both the state and individuals to file lawsuits against social media companies if they felt that they had violated the law.

NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association sued in order to block the law.

Right-wing politicians have been complaining that social media companies are censoring them, removing them from their platforms or banning them in an effort to limit their reach to the public. They argue that social media platforms are just there to carry the opinions of their more liberal users, and that this violates freedom of speech.

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