Texas is on the verge of passing a new law that would crack down on social media companies Republicans say are censoring conservative speech.The GOP-controlled state Senate passed the bill Tuesday night. If it heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who has publicly backed the bill, he’s expected to sign it.The new law, passed in the final days of the second special session called by Abbott, would allow any Texas resident banned from Facebook, Twitter or Google’s YouTube for their political views to sue the companies. The state attorney general also would be able to sue on behalf of a user or a group of users. It is similar to a Florida law that was blocked by a federal judge one day before it was set to take effect.Trade groups representing the technology industry have pledged to challenge it as unconstitutional.“By ignoring the First Amendment, the Texas Legislature has chosen to abandon its own conservative and constitutional values in order to put the government in control of speech online,” said Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel of NetChoice.Dozens of states are considering legislation that targets how social media platforms regulate speech, though few have gotten this far.Such bills resonate with…
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Texas law would stop Facebook from censoring conservatives, GOP says – USA Today
