Public records and legislative proposals

Supreme Court Backs Social Media Firms' First Amendment Rights in Content Moderation on July 2

Jul 3, 2024, 04:07 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, July 2, has ruled in favor of the First Amendment rights of social media companies to moderate content, sending two related cases back to lower courts for further analysis. This decision represents a significant, albeit partial, victory for tech companies, affirming that content moderation falls within their First Amendment rights. The ruling also emphasizes that the government cannot control speech in the name of 'balance,' which has implications for journalists and the press. Furthermore, the decision extends free speech protections to tech companies' automated content curation, potentially weakening government regulation of common carriers and raising concerns about the human costs of extending First Amendment rights to machine speech.