Share
News

AZ Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Hold Big Tech to Account for Censoring Political Views

Share

Republican Arizona lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday to treat online companies like Twitter and Facebook as publishers rather than neutral platforms when they censor content on their sites.

House Bill 2180, which was submitted by Rep. Mark Finchem and Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli and co-sponsored by House Majority Whip Leo Biasiucci, is directed at stripping the so-called Section 230 protections provided for in federal law.

That section of the U.S. Code shields social media companies from facing civil liability in relation to the content they allow to be posted.

It also protects these companies from liability for restricting “access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be … objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.”

However, HB 2180 seeks to draw the distinction between a neutral platform and a publisher.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

It provides that “those engaged in the business of allowing online users to upload publicly accessible content on the internet and that exercise a level of control over the uploaded content for politically biased reasons is: deemed to be a publisher,” not a platform.

If enacted, the law would empower either Arizona’s attorney general or an online user who claims to have suffered damages to bring legal action against the online company.

Finchem told The Western Journal that the legislation is a direct response to actions taken by social media companies to remove users (like President Donald Trump) or content from their sites, based on the individual’s political views.

“In Arizona, if you do that and you de-platform or you somehow interfere with, you censor or you somehow interfere with free speech, you’ll be assessed a fine that will be set by the attorney general’s office,” the lawmaker explained.

Do you support this legislation?

He said the purpose of the legislation is merely to incentivize social media companies to act like platforms and not publishers.

Finchem pointed out that those who have a cause of action against social media companies under HB 2180 would not just be the user whose content is taken down, but everyone in the case of Twitter, for example, who retweeted that content.

So if there were 7,000 retweets, Twitter could be fined 7,000 times.

Finchem said the money collected from those fines would go to supporting a state antitrust legal fund.

That fund would be set up to enforce those who engage in monopolistic practices.

Related:
MSNBC Legal Analysis Argues for 'Common Sense' Speech Restrictions Live on Air

Asked about the recent decision by Amazon Web Services to de-platform the social media site Parler, Finchem said every one of the company’s over 12 million users would have a cause of action against AWS.

Borrelli said Big Tech companies that act in this way are “trampling on the First Amendment.”

Finchem added that lawmakers’ role as legislators is to preserve Arizona citizens’ natural rights as enshrined in the Constitution, which is what HB 2180 aims to do.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,
Share
Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




Conversation