Elon Musk sues over ‘problematic’ censorship bill passing, files 39-page lawsuit.
X Corp. Sues California Over Censorship Law
X Corp., owned by the renowned Elon Musk, is taking legal action against California over a law that it believes amounts to censorship. The company’s General Government Affairs unit posted on X, stating, “Today, @X filed a First Amendment lawsuit against California AB 587. The true intent of AB 587 is to pressure social media platforms to ‘eliminate’ certain constitutionally-protected content viewed by the State as problematic.”
Today, @X filed a First Amendment lawsuit against California AB 587. The true intent of AB 587 is to pressure social media platforms to “eliminate” certain…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) September 8, 2023
The law, known as Assembly Bill 587 or AB 587, requires social media companies to publicly post policies on hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism. They must also report to the state on the actions taken to implement those policies, as reported by The Hill.
The lawsuit argues that AB 587 is an attempt to silence speech that California leaders disagree with. It states, “AB 587 violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 16 I, Section 2, of the California Constitution. It compels companies like X Corp. to engage in speech against their will, interferes with their editorial judgments, and pressures them to remove constitutionally-protected speech deemed undesirable or harmful.”
Worth reading our actual legal filing vs what you may see in the media https://t.co/fsLCUeUINq
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2023
The lawsuit argues that California’s claim of promoting transparency is contradicted by the law’s true intent. It states, ”The legislative record is crystal clear that one of the main purposes of AB 587 is to pressure social media companies to eliminate or minimize content that the government has deemed objectionable.”
California is accused of trying to control social media companies like puppets. The lawsuit asserts, “[T]hrough AB 587, the State is compelling social media companies to take public positions on controversial and politically-charged issues. X Corp. is being forced to adopt the State’s politically-charged terms, which is a form of compelled speech in and of itself.”
The lawsuit highlights that the issues California wants X Corp. to define are not universally agreed upon. For instance, intentionally misgendering someone is considered hate speech by some. The lawsuit argues that California’s actions violate the First Amendment.
When signing the bill, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “California will not stand by as social media is weaponized to spread hate and disinformation. This action brings much-needed transparency and accountability to the policies that shape the social media content we consume every day.”
For more details, read Elon Musk’s X Files 39-Page Lawsuit After ‘Problematic’ Censorship Bill Passes on The Western Journal.
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