Florida sued by tech companies over law to ban social media content blocking

On Thursday, two groups representing online companies such as Twitter and Facebook sued the state of Florida over a new law that seeks to punish large social media platforms if they remove content or ban politicians.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday that will allow the state to fine large social media sites if they inactivate a statewide politician’s account and will let any Floridian sue those companies if they feel like they’ve been treated unfairly. NetChoice, a lobbying firm that represents Twitter, Facebook and other online companies, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association sued, saying the law violates First Amendment rights.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, calls for a $250,000 a day fine if a statewide political candidate’s account is inactivated, and $25,000 a day if they remove an account of someone running for a local office. The law also gives Florida’s attorney general authority to sue companies under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and allows individual Floridians to sue social media companies for up to $100,000 if they feel they’ve been treated unfairly.