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Florida lawmakers advance bill to penalize social media companies

A bipartisan group of opponents considers the bill unconstitutional and warns that by compelling companies to allow speech that violates their use-of-service agreements, at could suppress their attempts to moderate dangerous content, which will lead to more calls for restraints on free speech.
“This bill abandons conservative values, violates the First Amendment, and would force websites to host antisemitic, racist and hateful content,” said Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel at NetChoice, a technology advocacy organization. “SB 7072 is unconstitutional as it compels private businesses to host speech in a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Creating a new Fairness Doctrine for the Internet will only make it harder for conservatives to share their news and views online.”
The bill is supported by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that said, “we are entering into a potentially dangerous time for political free speech.” It is opposed by Facebook, Apple, Amazon, NetChoice and the Internet Association.The bill is supported by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that said, “we are entering into a potentially dangerous time for political free speech.” It is opposed by Facebook, Apple, Amazon, NetChoice and the Internet Association.