Louisiana Senate Rejects Bill Allowing Social Media Companies to Be Sued for Limiting Speech
Louisiana | May 6, 2021
A bill that would allow Louisiana residents to sue social media companies for deleting or limiting religious or political speech has failed to advance in the state’s Senate this week.
The proposed law, known as Senate Bill 196 (pdf), would also have allowed legal actions against social media companies with more than 75 million users that use an algorithm to disfavor or censor a user’s religious or political speech. The bill allowed a social media user in the state to claim actual and punitive damages of up to $75,000.
Under the proposal, users do not have a cause of action when a social media company takes actions against hate speech, calls for violence, obscene or pornographic content, or operational errors.
The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted 19-18 for the bill, falling short of one vote from passing the upper chamber. A similar bill has also failed to garner the required support in the House. The bill was reconsidered on Wednesday and has been returned to the calendar for further action or consideration at a later time…
(Excerpts from the Epoch Times)