Buffalo shooting tests Texas social media law | Opinion
of former President Donald Trump and other social conservatives aggrieved by platforms’ perceived political bias. Read broadly, Section 230 allows a platform to remove any content that it finds objectionable. If, as Cain suggests, HB 20 is intended only to target decisions not protected by Section 230, then HB 20 is entirely symbolic — or at most, a trigger law that would take effect only if Congress repeals Section 230.
This episode shows the difficulties that occur when the government tries to police speech, an activity that conservatives typically. Platforms are private companies. In many cases, the First Amendment protects their decisions about what speech they will carry on their servers. But even if it did not, conservatives should want to protect that discretion. Content moderation allows social media companies to keep most platforms family-friendly, free of violent videos and vile manifestos.
Admittedly, different platforms may draw lines in different places. But this competition among platforms is the kind of free market approach that conservatives typically embrace. Admittedly, conservatives are correct that platforms may abuse the moderator’s privilege to push a particular agenda, consciously or subconsciously. High-profile missteps like theBut the solution is more competition in the social media space, not heavy-handed government micromanagement of online speech.
Daniel Lyons is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and an associate dean of academic affairs and a professor of law at Boston College Law School. He wrote this for The Dallas Morning News.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | Buffalo suspect's gruesome livestream is a test for Texas — and SCOTUSWhy the Supreme Court should freeze a bill that seeks to limit when large social media sites can moderate any of their users’ content.
Read more »
Texas EquuSearch looking for missing 20-year-old man last seen in southeast HoustonTrevor Sullivan is diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and walks with a limp due to a previous injury. He was last seen on May 5 walking on South Sam Houston Parkway.
Read more »
Republican Texas House races become high-dollar affairs as Tuesday’s primary runoff nearsThe pricey fights illustrate how much of the action in Texas politics has shifted back to the primary after redistricting dramatically reduced the number of competitive seats.
Read more »
Former San Antonio councilwoman pours money into Texas House raceElisa Chan has put $400,000 of her own money behind her bid for the Texas House District 122 seat while her challenger, Mark Dorazio, loaned himself $200,000, according to campaign finance reports.
Read more »
Law to crack down on lobbyists ensnares two former Texas House membersThe law says a former member of the Legislature cannot engage in activities that require them to register as a lobbyist if they have made a political contribution using campaign funds in the past two years.
Read more »
Foes of new Texas social media law say video of Buffalo mass shooting exposes its blind spotThe recent mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, livestreamed and spread across the...
Read more »