A federal district judge blocked enforcement of Florida’s new law allowing the state to penalize social media platforms, prominently Facebook and Twitter, for banning or labeling the posts of politicians. The judge said it was not the role of the government to interfere with the discourse of private users. He also noted the discriminatory nature of the law as its exempts companies operating theme parks in the state. (Forbes, July 1, 2021, by Siladitya Ray)
The law provided for a fine of $250,000 day for banning or labeling statewide candidates and $25,000 for others. Social media companies banned Trump after he incited violence before the January 6 attack on the Capitol. (NBC News, June 30, 2021, by David Ingram)