Florida Gov Ron DeSantis Proposes New Laws to Combat Big Tech Censorship

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 3, 2021   |   11:39AM   |   Tallahassee, FL

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is earning praise from pro-life conservatives on social media for a policy proposal designed to combat Big Tech censorship, which grows steadily worse.

“What began as a group of upstart technology companies from the west coast has since transformed into an industry of monopoly communications platforms that monitor, influence, and control the flow of information in our country and among our citizens,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

The pro-life governor blasted Twitter’s decision to permanently suspend President Donald Trump’s account.

“Used to be that consumers were trusted to make their own decisions about what information to consume, about which leaders to ‘follow,’ about what news to watch,” DeSantis said. “Now these decisions are increasingly made by nameless, faceless boards of sensors.”

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DeSantis also condemned Big Tech for using algorithms to manipulate what people see online, which contributes to people voting a different way in elections based on the biased presentation.

“These platforms have changed from neutral platforms that provided Americans with the freedom to speak to enforcers of preferred narratives. Consequently, these platforms have played an increasingly decisive role in elections, and have negatively impacted Americans who dissent from orthodoxies favored by the Big Tech cartel.”

“That’s why in Florida we’re gonna take aim at those companies and pull back the veil and make sure those guys don’t continue to find loopholes and grey areas to live above the law,” DeSantis said. “Floridians should have the privacy of their data and personal information protected, their ability to access and participate in online platforms protected, and their ability to participate in elections free from interference from Big Tech protected.”

Here is a list of some of the prpposals from the Republican governor:

  • Mandatory opt-outs from Big Tech’s content filters
  • Fines of $100,000 per day for tech companies that suspend candidates for elected office in Florida
  • Daily fines for any company that “uses their content and user-related algorithms to suppress or prioritize the access of any content related to a political candidate or cause on the ballot”
  • Disclosure requirements enforced by Florida’s election authorities for tech companies that favor one candidate over another
  • Power for the Florida attorney general to bring cases against tech companies that violate these conditions under the state’s Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act

DeSantis accused Big Tech of “clear viewpoint discrimination,” highlighting the censorship of Donald Trump and the removal of Parler from the internet and Apple and Google-controlled app stores.

“The core issue here is this: are consumers going to have the choice to consume the information they choose, or are oligarchs in Silicon Valley going to make those choices for us? No group of people should exercise such power, especially not tech billionaires in Northern California.”