US appeals court rejects big tech's right regulate online speech:
On Friday, the US 5th Circuit appeals court upheld a Texas law prohibiting large social media companies from banning or censoring users based on their point of view. In addition to this it has a provision allowing either users or the Texas attorney general to sue to enforce the law. Technology industry groups call this a setback, saying all it will do is turn platforms into bastions of dangerous content. The largely 2-1 ruling makes it possible that the US Supreme Court will rule on the law, which conservatives say is necessary to protect their views from "Big Tech" censorship. A Supreme Court ruling is made more likely as this contradicts a ruling by the 11th Circuit in May which found that most of a similar Florida law cannot be enforced as it violates companies' free speech rights. The companies affected by such laws have sought to preserve their ability to regulate user content when they believe it may lead to violence, citing concerns that unregulated platforms will enable extremists and terrorist groups. The association on Friday said it disagreed with forcing private companies to give equal treatment to all viewpoints. "'God Bless America' and 'Death to America' are both viewpoints, and it is unwise and unconstitutional for the state of Texas to compel a private business to treat those the same," it said in a statement.