The Texas state Senate passed a bill Thursday forbidding social media companies from discriminating against users based on their political viewpoints or locations within the state.
Senate Bill 12 would allow Texans who are wrongfully suspended or blocked for religious or political views on a social media platform, such as Facebook and Twitter, to get back on the site, the Washington Examiner reported.
It calls for social media companies to be transparent about how they moderate content on their websites, give frequent updates on what content is removed and create an appeals process when a user’s content is removed.
The bill would apply to social media companies with at least 100 million monthly viewers, so platforms such as Parler and Gab will not be among those included. --->READ MORE HERE
The Texas Senate early Thursday approved a bill that would prohibit social media companies with at least 100 million monthly users from blocking, banning, demonetizing or discriminating against a user based on their viewpoint or their location within Texas.
Senate Bill 12, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes of Mineola, was approved after 2 a.m. Thursday. The measure, which would apply to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others, would also require the companies to disclose their content moderation policies, publish regular reports about the content they remove and create an appeals process for user content that has been taken down.
Texas’ attorney general would be allowed to file suit against any company that violates a provision of the bill. If upheld in court, the attorney general could recoup “reasonable” attorney’s fees and investigative costs.
Experts have raised doubts about the legality of the measure. Hughes acknowledged that, if signed into law, SB 12 would almost certainly be challenged in court. He repeatedly referred to social media platforms as common carriers, though they have never been classified as such by law or in the court system. Common carriers, such as phone companies and cable providers, are private or public companies that transport goods or people and are barred by government regulators from discriminating against customers. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Texas Senate blocks social media platforms from banning users based on politics
Texas Senate greenlights bill to prevent social media companies from censoring Texans for political views
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