Elon Musk's company X is suing New York State against the new "Stop Hiding Hate Act," claiming it infringes on free speech. This law requires digital platforms to disclose their content moderation efforts, drawing parallels to a California bill that X previously contested and won against. Advocates for the bill argue that the rise of alternative media enables extremism, while critics warn of potential censorship. The debate highlights the balance between accountability and free expression on social media.
X argues the new law is a "carbon copy" of California's Assembly Bill 587 that it already successfully challenged. Last year, three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction, ruling portions of the law were unconstitutional under protected free speech rights.
The worldwide rise in alternative media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and many others has opened a door for extremist groups to destabilize society through targeted disinformation and misinformation designed to polarize and radicalize, supporters of the bill argue.
However, critics of such measures have countered that this is a slippery slope that could either by design or default lead to the censorship of "wrongthink", since even good-faith attempts to guard against violence may lead to regulatory overreach.
Co-sponsors label digital platforms 'cesspools of hate speech'.
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