Appeals Court Upholds Texas Social Media Law on Censorship

Lawmakers in Washington have pushed for changes to a law, known as Section 230, that shields platforms from liability for the content users post, to nudge the companies to either be more forceful or more lenient. But those proposals have gained little traction.

Two tech industry groups, NetChoice and the Computer Communications Industry Association, sued to block the law after it was approved last year, saying the social media companies have a First Amendment right to remove posts they consider inappropriate. A different federal court has blocked a similar law in Florida.

The ruling on Friday is the latest turn in the legal wrangling over the law. Last year, a district court blocked the law. The appeals court disagreed with that decision, clearing the way for the law to take effect. But the Supreme Court intervened at the behest of the technology industry groups — blocking the law until the court of appeals issued its fuller ruling. The decision on Friday does not allow the law to take effect; that requires the appeals court to issue instructions to the lower court.

The legal battle is likely not over. Matt Schruers, the president of Computer Communications Industry Association, said the group was “evaluating options.” NetChoice said it remained “convinced that when the U.S. Supreme Court hears one of our cases, it will uphold the First Amendment rights of websites, platforms and apps.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/business/texas-social-media-political-law.html