COLOMBIA – In the two months since Twitter banned former President Donald Trump from its platform, leading Republican voices have criticized the company for what they have called acts of censorship – including U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Now, a freshman state legislature from the interior wants to go even further, demanding that social media companies inform suspended account holders in the state of Palmetto why they were fired in 10 days or face punishment under the state’s Unfair Business Practices Act. .
The lack of denunciation by social media companies can open civil actions for them by individuals or by the state prosecutor.
“What worries me now is that the target of these censorships is typically political or religiously conservative organizations,” State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Boiling Springs, told a March 3 subcommittee on Labor, Trade and Industry about his proposal.
Lawmakers adjourned the session after more than an hour of deliberations without taking a vote, although the matter should be reviewed.
Kinbrell, who hosted a radio talk show, said he introduced the legislation because Congress failed to enforce Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects companies like Twitter and Facebook from lawsuits because they are considered “platforms” and not “Publishers” who are responsible for the content.
“The whole bill would become null and void if the United States Congress applied Section 230,” said Kimbrell. “I believe in the free enterprise system, but when you provide certain protections under federal government regimes, it changes things. It’s okay to have an agenda, just don’t have a hidden one. ”
Several other senators said they believed that social media had become more harmful than beneficial, but refused to interfere with the rights of public companies.
“I don’t like the idea of these platforms silencing people, but I also struggle to interfere in public commerce,” said state senator Sean Bennett, R-Summerville. “I have an aversion to the government telling a public company what to do.”
But opponents say the bill was drafted too vaguely and could lead to unintended consequences.
“It launches a wide network for everyone, so I’m having some anguish if you warn someone who may be using this platform for some kind of criminal activity, most will restrict their activity, which would impede law enforcement efforts to build a case ”, state senator Karl Allen, D-Greenville, who is a lawyer.
Kimbrell said he supported an amendment to his bill that would exempt Internet service providers from being penalized.
Trump, a voracious tweeter for much of his presidency, had his account suspended on January 8. Twitter said the ban would remain in effect even if he was re-elected in 2024.
A day later, Graham let his feelings be known in his own feed.
“His decision to ban President Trump permanently is a serious error,” Graham tweeted. ”The ayatollah can tweet, but Trump cannot. It says a lot about the people who run Twitter. “
Days after the January 6 uprising on the United States Capitol, Twitter eliminated more than 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon, a conspiracy theory promoted by Trump supporters that suggests Democrats are trying to overthrow the country and, with Hollywood celebrities , are after a child. sex ring.
Republican-controlled legislatures in states like Florida, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Texas have drafted bills similar to Kimbrell’s, albeit with more severe penalties.
Follow Adam Benson on Twitter @ AdamNewshound12.