(San Francisco) The social network
The complaint filed in federal court in Sacramento focuses on “AB 587.” Entered into force a year ago, it requires social networks to publish their regulations concerning disinformation, harassment, hate speech or extremism.
But according to
“AB 587 violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” which guarantees freedom of expression, and the California Constitution, assure the lawyers of the San Francisco-based company.
Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 and quickly shook up its operations, starting with content moderation.
The billionaire advocates a radical vision of freedom of expression. In particular, he put an end to the fight against disinformation on COVID-19 and let back many personalities banned by Twitter for remarks relating to hatred or disinformation according to his rules at the time, such as the ex-president American Donald Trump.
“With AB 587, the state requires social media companies to take a public stand on controversial or political issues,” says X.
“And, because X must take a position on these matters as defined by the state, X is forced to adopt the politically charged terminology of the state, which constitutes a form of imposed discourse in itself,” the authors continue. lawyers.
Many NGOs defending minorities have noted an explosion of hate messages on the platform since the Tesla boss took control, particularly against black, Jewish or homosexual people. They regularly call on advertisers to boycott the service.
Elon Musk recently threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL, which fights anti-Semitism and racism), accusing it of defamation and being responsible for the company’s lost revenue.
“Californians deserve to know how these platforms influence our public discourse,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said when AB 587 was signed into law.
