Florida Governor Signs Law To PUNISH Social Media Giants For Censoring Free Speech

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has finally pushed against Big-Tech Giants by signing a measure that will protect state residents from their latest attempt to “power grab on speech, thought and content.”

The Big Tech Bill, as DeSantis calls it, allows residents to fight back against de-platforming and censorship, allowing them to sue tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages for each proven claim in a bid to ensure companies are more transparent about their content moderation practices.

The law requires companies to detail how they reach conclusions about content moderation and stick to those standards consistently, DeSantis said during a press conference on Monday.

The Florida Attorney General will also be able to bring action against tech companies that violate the law, which prohibits the de-platforming of political candidates as well.

“This session, we took action to ensure that ‘We the People’ — real Floridians across the Sunshine State — are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites,” DeSantis said in a statement. “If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable.”

Florida’s Big Tech Bill gives every Floridian the power to fight back against deplatforming and allows any person to sue Big Tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages. Today, we level the playing field between celebrity and citizen on social media. https://t.co/SOW6DZZT2K

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 24, 2021

DeSantis noted that Florida would be the first state to implement such a law.

“I think what we’re really witnessing is Orwellian,” DeSantis said last month. “It’s a big tech, corporate-media collusion and the end result is that the narrative is always right.”

The Republican governor made those comments after a roundtable he hosted was removed from YouTube due to comments made about the need for children to wear masks in school, which the company said contradicted the consensus of local and global health authorities.