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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 2, 2024 12:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Marla Brown |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Social Media Censorship |
| In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation to (1) prohibit social media platforms from unfairly censoring users and journalistic enterprises and (2) greatly restrict the Commonwealth’s ability to compel or otherwise exert improper influence on social media platforms to censor user comments. An increasing number of Pennsylvanians are turning to social media to express opinions on local politics, community issues, cultural events, and to advocate for social change, share news updates, and connect with like-minded individuals. Prior attempts by governments to police “hateful” or “abusive” messages on social media platforms have been met with stern criticism, with many claiming that such attempts have been wildly inconsistent; ineffective; politically biased; and ultimately, an improper attempt to censor and stifle open discourse. Even narrowly tailored attempts to restrict speech can have disastrous consequences in a free society. Determining what constitutes “harmful” or “unacceptable” speech is inherently subjective and creates a chilling effect, causing individuals to become fearful of expressing themselves freely for fear of stepping over this arbitrary and capricious line. In today’s society, it is far too common for individuals to falsely or deceptively accuse others of peddling in “hate speech” for merely expressing a difference of opinion. Unfortunately, this tactic often proves effective in squelching opposition and silencing dissenting voices. In October of 2020, Twitter and Facebook took the unusual and highly controversial step to curb the sharing of news articles relating to certain emails written and received by Hunter Biden.[1] The deliberate suppression of this significant and important story was viewed by many as an obvious attempt to protect Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden from reports that could damage his campaign. Subsequent media reports further fueled suspicions that government officials improperly exerted influence on these companies to limit the spread of the story. Indeed, a former CIA official testified before Congress that a senior advisor for the Biden campaign played a significant role in the dishonest attempts to discredit and undermine reports on this story. Without clear legal boundaries, government entities and social media platforms may seek to exploit their authority to silence dissent, control narratives, and suppress political opposition under the guise of “maintaining order” and “protecting the public.” Please join me in cosponsoring this important bill to prevent the censorship of our constituents and promote a marketplace of ideas. |
Introduced as HB2523
Memo Updated: July 2, 2024 12:26 PM