DeSantis's Signature AntiBig Tech Law Tied Up In Court As He Seeks White House

g. Signed by Ron DeSantis (Republic of Florida). There is no end to his legacy as the White House tries to prevent big tech companies from moderating content that is now in court.

One of the Republican presidential candidate's biggest tech decisions was to support SB 7072, which would allow Florida residents to sue a tech company up to $250,000 a day for removing a state political candidate from his platform for more than two years. . , or significantly less for a county or locality. The law passed the state House and Senate and took effect on May 24, 2021. DeSantis has presented it as a challenge to big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter, while critics have said it stifles free speech by publishing it without his knowledge. . content

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DeSantis' bill comes months after former President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter over comments he made on January 6, 2021, about the Capitol riot. The governor stressed that the bill is not about Trump, but about protecting the rights of Floridians.

Industry groups quickly challenged the bill in court. NetChoice, a conservative tech group, sued In May, State Attorney General Ashley Moody charged DeSantis with violating the First Amendment. A federal judge ruled in favor of NetChoice and banned SB 7072 in June 2021. Moody's argued that social media platforms are not protected as public forums, which the court granted and decided to take the case in district court. NetChoice referred the case to the 11th Court of Appeal, which overturned the dismissal decision in May 2022.

In October, Florida and NetChoice asked the Supreme Court to hear the case because of a separate district and county court ruling. In January, the court asked US Attorney Elizabeth Barhus-Preloger to reopen the case. NetChoice confirmed that it is still waiting for a decision, but expects to hear something "any day now."

SB 7072 is one of many culture war initiatives that have raised DeSantis' standing among conservatives, including his fights with Disney and sending immigrants to Martha's Vineyard.

All of DeSantis' fellow Republican candidates have decried companies like Facebook and Amazon and said they intend to rein them in through federal regulation. They often say they want to avoid restricting conservative speech.

Florida isn't the only state passing similar laws aimed at controlling big tech companies. The state of Texas made a similar decision, although it was temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court. Other countries are considering similar legislation. While technologists warn of the stifling effect it could have on legislative discourse, such laws have stalled or failed to pass.

While this ban is the most well-known technology-related bill DeSantis has passed, it is not the only one. Florida's governor has signed into law a bill banning the use of digital currencies by central banks.

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The Florida House of Representatives and Senate are considering a "Digital Rights Act" that would require social media platforms to be transparent about their decisions to censor content or face a fine of $100,000 per day. This would allow users to opt out of having their data shared with big tech companies like Facebook or Amazon.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is campaigning in South Carolina.