Florida Law Seeks to Control Large Social Media Companies

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill this week that seeks to punish social media companies that remove "conservative ideas" from their networks.

Whether the bill violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment¹ remains² unclear. The First Amendment prevents government from limiting "the freedom of speech or of the press."

The new law will permit the state to fine large social media companies $250,000 a day if they remove the account of a statewide political candidate. There is also a fine of $25,000 a day if they remove the account of someone running for a local office. It takes effect July 1.

DeSantis said some of the social media companies were using "power over our population that really has no precedent³ in American history."

He also accused the companies of wanting to suppress "ideas."

It is unclear if Florida will be able to enforce the law. Federal law prevents internet companies from being taken to court for removing posts. And federal law always overtakes state law when there is a conflict.

Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency⁴ Act says internet companies cannot be taken to court for removing material that is obscene, violent or "objectionable," among other things.

Republicans have long accused companies like Twitter and Facebook of censoring⁶ conservative thought. DeSantis pointed⁷ to the decision by Twitter to ban former President Donald Trump⁸ while still allowing Iranian supreme⁹ leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to have an account.

You remove "the president of the United States, but you let Ayatollah Khamenei talk about killing¹⁰ Jews, that is wrong," DeSantis said.

Twitter did not answer a request for comment. Facebook refused to comment.

NetChoice, an organization that represents technology companies, criticized the new law in a statement.

"This bill takes us closer to a state-run internet where the government can... pick winners and losers," said NetChoice vice¹¹ president Carl Szabo.

He added that the new bill was meant to "punish" social media companies because of a belief that they are "anti-conservative."

The law will give Florida's attorney general the power to take social media companies to court. It also allows any individual who believes he has been treated unfairly to take the social media company to court.

The bill targets social media companies that have more than 100 million monthly users. These include Twitter and Facebook. Lawmakers, however, said websites of amusement park owners, like Disney and Comcast, would not be subject to the law.

The new Florida law will most likely not hold up against the constitution, said Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers.

While DeSantis says his new law protects free speech, Schruers said that an internet company that does not want to have Nazis¹² or other objectionable people on its service "is exercising its own First Amendment rights."

Florida Democrats¹³ opposed the bill. They defended the right of social media companies to control information on their platforms.

Democratic Senator Audrey Gibson said in a statement that the bill was passed to please Trump. Other Republican-run states are considering similar bills after Facebook and Twitter banned the former president for violating their standards.

She said the companies "take responsibility" for what appears on their services and "have the right to do so."

Words in This Story

precedent – n. something done or said that can be used as an example or rule to be followed in the future

post – n. to add (a message) to a social media platform

obscene – adj. relating to sex in an indecent or offensive way

censor⁵ – v. the act of examining books, movies, letters, etc., and removes things that are considered to be offensive, immoral¹⁴, harmful to society, et

standard – n. level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

4 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

5 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

6 censoring   

删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Therefore, exhibitors shall not make use of these materials before censoring. 展商在审查前不可使用这些资料。
• The company then said it would end self-censoring search results, putting it at odds with Beijing. 随后该公司表示，将停止自我审查搜索结果，从而与中国政府发生对抗。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。