Last updated on May 29th, 2021 at 08:39 pm
For a number of years, Conservatives have accused major tech companies of discrimination. Republican lawmakers frequently called the heads of major tech companies to testify in front of committees.
The last straw for the GOP seemed to be when Donald Trump was batted from all of the most prominent social media sites. Florida’s Ron DeSantis, a major Trump fan, recently introduced legislation to punish tech companies that “discriminate” against Conservatives.
DeSantis told reporters, “Many in our state have experienced censorship and other tyrannical behavior firsthand in Cuba and Venezuela. If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable.”
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Two tech companies are now fighting back. According to Politico, “NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed suit against Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and several other state officials over the anti-Big Tech bill, which DeSantis signed into law on Monday. “
NetChoice’s Carl Szabo explained, “Americans everywhere should oppose Florida’s attempt to run roughshod over the First Amendment rights of private online businesses. By weakening the First Amendment rights of some, Florida weakens the First Amendment rights of all.”
DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw pushed back, saying, “Constitutional protections are not a one-way street. On the contrary, there is a delicate balance in ensuring that citizens and businesses alike are protected against government overreach, but also, that all consumers are protected against abusive, discriminatory, and/or deceptive business practices.”
The law signed into law by DeSantis is not expected to be enforceable. The first priority of the Florida governor, though, is more interested in fighting the culture war and this legislation does just that.
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.
