Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Egyptian media, citing medical sources: Ambulances transported about 100 injuries to hospitals as a result of the Ismailia Security Directorate fire
Egyptian media: The number of people injured in the Ismailia Security Directorate fire has risen to 21 people, some of whom are in critical condition.
Turkey carried out air strikes in northern Iraq and destroyed 20 PKK targets: Turkish MoD
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Turkish warplanes carry out an air strike that targeted the Matin area in Dohuk, northern Iraq
Israeli media: The settlers wrote the word “revenge” in the site and uprooted dozens of olive trees
Israeli media: Settlers set ablaze a farm in the town of Deir Dibwan in the West Bank
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claims responsibility for Ankara attack
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps: We are deploying RAF Typhoons to Poland
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps announces a 4 billion pound ($4.9 billion) deal to build attack submarines
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: We have waited 60 years at the doorstep of the European Union. We are no longer waiting.

Texas bans social media apps from censoring users due to "viewpoint"

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 17 Sep 2022 09:34
  • x

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are facing what may be a lengthy lawsuit ahead as it was ruled in Texas that they cannot censor users based on their political viewpoints.

  • TX law bans social media apps from banning users due to
    TX law bans social media apps from banning users due to "viewpoint" (Bloomberg)

A Texas law was sustained by a US appeals court on Friday, prohibiting large social media companies with at least 50 million monthly active users from censoring their users on account of "viewpoint".

The state's decision comes as an unprecedented measure that limits the tech industry's ability to micromanage accounts and discourses, something social media companies claim would allow their platforms to become a "stronghold of dangerous content".

Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 3-0 ruling by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, is considered the groundwork that would lead to the US Supreme Court's ruling on the law, which conservatives and right-wing commentators expressed as critical to preventing "Big Tech" from censoring their views.

Judge Andrew Oldham, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote in the ruling, which was passed by the state's Republican-led legislature and signed by its Republican governor: "Today we reject the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say". 

Related News

Texas ordered to remove buoys blocking migrants' access to Rio Grande

US lawmakers angered as seized Iranian oil tanker remains untouched

The tech groups concerned in the ruling - and thus recorded a legal loss on Friday - included NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which count Meta Platforms' (META.O) Facebook, Twitter (TWTR.N), and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) YouTube as members, which have sought to regulate user content when they believe it may incite violence, raising concerns that unregulated platforms will enable extremists such as Nazi supporters, terrorists, and hostile foreign governments.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association on Friday expressed its dismay with forcing private companies to provide equal treatment to all viewpoints.

"'God Bless America' and 'Death to America' are both viewpoints, and it is unwise and unconstitutional for the state of Texas to compel a private business to treat those the same," it said in a statement, as some conservatives labeled the social media platforms' practices as abusive, pointing to Twitter's permanent suspension of former US President Donald Trump from the platform shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters, after which Twitter had cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" as a reason.

The ruling allows either users or the Texas attorney general to sue to enforce the law, as the ruling was praised as a "massive victory for the constitution and free speech" by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The included parties have a stronger case for petitioning the Supreme Court to hear the matter due to the 5th Circuit ruling conflicts with part of a ruling by the 11th Circuit, which is based in Atlanta, and which has previously found in May that most of a similar Florida law violates the companies' free speech rights and thus cannot be implemented.

  • Texas
  • Appeals
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Meta

Most Read

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

  • Europe
  • 28 Sep 2023
Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

  • Analysis
  • 30 Sep 2023
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

'Not 1 more cent': Americans are done with funding Ukraine's paychecks

  • Europe
  • 30 Sep 2023
Kiev forces continue to deliberately target journalists

Kiev forces continue to deliberately target journalists

  • Europe
  • 29 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
Morocco & Libya Disasters

Read Next

All
tusk
Europe

Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk leads million-man rally in Warsaw

Eastern Libyan authorities postpone reconstruction meeting for Derna.
MENA

Libyan authorities postpone reconstruction conference for Derna

Saudi Arabia to record fiscal deficit in 2023, blaming falling oil revenues.
MENA

Saudi Arabia to record fiscal deficit in 2023; oil revenues to blame

McCarthy
US & Canada

Leading hardline Republican says will move to oust McCarthy

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS