Red-state bills to stop online censorship could backfire, conservative lawyers warn

Republican legislation meant to stop censorship on social media platforms could backfire and result in less conservative speech and a number of onerous lawsuits that will hamstring their goals, conservative lawyers say.

Republican-controlled legislatures around the country have passed laws or are pushing for bills that would restrict Big Tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter from moderating content or blocking users on their platforms. Lawmakers in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and North Dakota have introduced bills that mandate greater transparency in regard to content moderation and prevent social media platforms from canceling conservative speech. Utah’s Republican governor is expected to approve such legislation shortly.