A federal judge barred the Biden administration and top government officials from speaking with social media companies about a broad host of topics on Tuesday, issuing a preliminary injunction that could severely limit efforts to combat disinformation online. The decision stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who have accused the Biden administration of overstepping when working with social media giants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials have worked closely with tech companies in recent years to address vaccine misinformation and hesitancy on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as issues surrounding election interference, terrorism and child sexual abuse. This targeted suppression of conservative ideas is a perfect example of viewpoint discrimination of political speech,” the judge wrote in his ruling. 🚨BREAKING: The Court has granted our motion to BLOCK top officials in the federal government from violating the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans.

Source: Huffington Post July 05, 2023 18:19 UTC