The Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed legislation that specifically targets social media companies and prevents them from taking action in regards to censorship against a political candidate or campaign.
This new legislation will primarily target social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, although it may also affect companies like Google or Bing as well. Social media companies have already pledged to fight against the legislation, although their prospects in court are more than likely going to be dim.
So, what exactly does the law prevent social media companies from doing? It primarily focuses on preventing companies like Twitter or Facebook from banning a political candidate’s profile within the jurisdiction of Florida. Massive fines are included in the legislation that can be placed against social media companies that choose to censor candidates that are seeking public office within the state of Florida.
Some additional rights are granted to the citizens of Florida who may feel they have not been treated fairly by social media companies. Many observers and political analysts believe that DeSantis’ is signing this legislation to avenge the public takedown of Donald Trump’s social media profiles after the January 6th riots that took place in the U.S. Capitol.
While this new law is controversial for some big tech companies, it will surely address the problem that has slowly been developing in regards to censorship. It may not be a perfect solution, but it’s certainly interesting to see Governor DeSantis continue providing his state’s citizens with legislation that is seemingly positive.
As his approval numbers continue to hit record levels, he may have one of the easiest re-election campaigns for his state’s governorship than he could even imagine. This political trajectory still leads him down a path that could end up in the White House in 2024, as well.