TALLAHASSEE — Citing what he called discrimination against conservatives, Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders said Tuesday they will back a bill to punish five Big Tech companies – Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter – that they believe wield too much power over “the new public square.”
“As these companies have grown and their influence has expanded, Big Tech has come to look more like Big Brother with each passing day,” DeSantis told reporters at the Capitol. “But this is 2021, not 1984, and this is real life, not George Orwell’s fiction. These companies exert monopoly power over a centrally important forum in the public discourse and the access of information that Floridians rely on.”
The move comes after former President Trump, a key ally of the governor, was banned from Twitter and Facebook after the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Twitter said it made the decision “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
DeSantis cited what happened to Trump as one reason for the legislation but didn’t acknowledge Trump‘s role in the riot. DeSantis was asked by a reporter if he agreed with Trump’s claim that the election was stolen from him, but the governor didn’t respond.
Although the bill hasn’t been filed, DeSantis said the measure would require the companies to give users advance notice before removing them from their platform. The companies would be barred from changing the rules and standards of their platforms too often.
If the companies violate the new rules, the legislation would allow users to more easily sue the companies, as well as empower Attorney General Ashley Moody to seek action against them under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Practices law.
In addition, the bill would target Big Tech’s influence on elections. Companies that remove a candidate for office from their platform would receive $100,000 fines each day until the candidate’s access is restored.
Any promotion of one candidate over another would require a disclosure of that under Florida’s campaign contribution transparency requirements. The use of algorithms to boost or suppress political content would also be banned.
“The message is loud and clear: When it comes to elections in Florida, Big Tech should stay out of it,” DeSantis said.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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Go DeSantis. A real man, unlike the Republicans In Name Only.
TALK IS cheep though. WE’ve seen person after person say “THEY NEED TO PAY”. BUT what exactly have they done to MAKE THAT HAPPEN??
Jack squat. that’s what.
TILL I SEE it come into being, i won’t be singing his praise…
Agreed Actions speak louder than words. These BIg Tech are telling “We the People ” who is in control of the Constitution.
They need to be taken out and made an example of.
Prob is, who’s gonna DO that ‘make an example’? CERTAINLY not the FBI. Or the military, or the DOIJ, and so on..
Floridians are blessed with such a fine conservative governor, just like his predecessor Sen. Rick Scott. The Democrats nearly stole the FL gubernatorial election in 2018 with the Commie Democrat Mayor of Tallahassee, you know the one, the druggie found passed out naked on the floor of a Miami hotel room after his homosexual hooker partner was found dead…
I hope more conservative leaders in other states join Florida in this action. The Congress has done nothing but fight for over 5 years. This is important and they should have been working on this a long time ago. Thank you Governor.
The dems fear real men like Trump, DeSantis and their supporters. Dems have opened our borders for anyone and everyone while trying to take away our only means of protection and then building a fence around themselves for protection from the people who are paying them.
I’m very proud of my governor ! We need more with his conviction.
Let’s hope, he FOLLOWS through with his words, with DEEDS.