US court halts ban on government contact with social media giants | Social Media News
A judge previously blocked officials from engaging with the companies, in a case of misinformation and censorship.
A US appeals court halted a order earlier prevented government agencies from contacting social media companies to influence the content they publish.
The New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the ban on Friday, until an appeal by President Joe Biden’s administration can be heard.
The decision was prompted by a July 4 ruling from a federal judge in Louisiana, barring the government from accessing tech companies for “the purpose of inciting, encouraging, pressuring, or instigating deletions” , remove, block or reduce content in any way”. .
In doing so, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty ruled, in violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment protections of free speech.
Doughty issued the order based on a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, as well as by a number of individuals.
They allege that government officials, under both Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, have effectively coerced social media companies to censor posts they fear are spreading. transmission. Misinformation about COVID vaccines.
However, government lawyers have responded that efforts to reduce misinformation are by no means censorship. They said there was no evidence “that a threat accompanies any requests to remove content”.
However, they warn that cutting off contact with social media companies could cause harm to the public by stifling the ability of the government to express direct concerns about misinformation.
Doughty’s initial restraining order is temporary, in effect until a final judgment can be made in the case. And it did include some exceptions, including allowing the government to communicate with social media companies about national security issues and criminal activity.
The Biden administration said the ban “raise serious concerns about the separation of powers” by placing the government’s judiciary in “an untenable position to monitor executive branch communications.” France”.
The social media companies mentioned in the lawsuit include Twitter, the owner of YouTube, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
