#SupremeCourt says #WhiteHouse may continue requests to #tech companies
#SCOTUS on Fri temporarily allowed the #Biden admin to cont its efforts to get #socialmedia companies to remove #posts from their #platforms that the govt says are misleading.
#PublicHealth #election #disinformation #MediaLiteracy #law #legal #fedilaw #politics #ElonMusk #MarkZuckerberg #Twitter #x #facebook #instagram #meta
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/20/supreme-court-tech-companies-social-media-posts/
The #Biden admin had asked #SCOTUS to put on hold a lower-court ruling that found top ofcls likely violated the #FirstAmendment by improperly pressuring #tech cos to take down what they saw as problematic posts about #PublicHealth & #election-related #disinformation.
The importance of the issue was underscored by the court’s decision Fri to accept the case for oral argument this term, which would mean a ruling before end of June.
As is customary in emergency orders, the majority did not explain its reasoning for granting the #Biden admin’s request. But #conservative Justices Samuel #Alito, #ClarenceThomas & Neil #Gorsuch dissented from the decision not to leave the lower court order in place, calling the development “highly disturbing.”
#SCOTUS #PublicHealth #SocialMedia #Election #Disinformation #MediaLiteracy #UninformedElectorate #ForeignInfluenceCampaigns #manipulation
…In asking #SCOTUS to intervene in the matter, SG Elizabeth #Prelogar wrote in a filing that the order issued by an appeals court last month would impose “unprecedented limits” on the admin’s ability to “use the bully pulpit to address matters of #public concern” & call attn to potentially #harmful #online #content.
#PublicHealth #SocialMedia #Election #Disinformation #MediaLiteracy #UninformedElectorate #ForeignInfluenceCampaigns #manipulation
…In July, a Dist Court judge in #Louisiana sided w/ the #Republican #Louisiana & #Missouri attys gen who brought the suit, & issued a sweeping #injunction that bars thousands of #FederalEmployees across a range of #government depts & agencies from “improperly” pressuring or “coercing” #tech cos to remove specific #content.
…The #conservative US Court of Appeals for the #5thCircuit last month limited the order to the #WhiteHouse, the #SurgeonGeneral’s office, the #CDC & the #FBI.
…The #5thCircuit 3-judge appeals court panel subsequently broadened its order this month to extend to government officials w/ the #Cybersecurity & Infrastructure #Security Agency #CISA, saying those ofcls *probably* acted improperly in trying to coordinate w/ #SiliconValley to protect #elections from #online #hoaxes.
#SCOTUS #PublicHealth #SocialMedia #PublicSafety #Election #Disinformation #ConspiracyTheories #MediaLiteracy #UninformedElectorate #ForeignInfluenceCampaigns #manipulation
Govt ofcls routinely engage w/ #tech cos like #Twitter, #Facebook & #YouTube. The #FBI, e.g., shares info w/ #platforms about accounts that appear to be used by #CovertForeignActors to #influence the American #public. Tech cos & the govt expanded efforts to fight #disinformation online after #Russian #interference on the platforms during the #2016election. But such #ContentModeration efforts have become embroiled in the nation’s #CultureWars, & many cos are now cutting back on #security staff.
@Nonilex it's not just culture wars, though.
The administration was caught promoting politicized messages particularly related to health care that have nothing to do with culture, messages that sought to sink scientific information that ran up against officials' public messaging.
That's such an important part of this story.
