Biden administration to continue its efforts to get social media companies to remove posts from their platforms that the government says are misleading.The administration
In a court filing that asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar wrote that the order issued by an appeals court last month would impose “unprecedented limits” on the administration’s ability to “use the bully pulpit to address matters of public concern” and call attention to potentially harmful online content.
“Government censorship of private speech is antithetical to our democratic form of government, and therefore today’s decision is highly disturbing,” wrote Alito, who was joined by Thomas and Gorsuch. also found the White House “significantly encouraged the platforms’ decisions by commandeering their decision-making processes, both in violation of the First Amendment.”The opinion details White House efforts to pressure social media companies to remove misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. Officials “were not shy in their requests,” calling for posts to be removed “ASAP” and appearing “persistent and angry,” according to the ruling.
after Russian interference on the platforms during the 2016 election. But such content moderation efforts have become embroiled in the nation’s culture wars, and manyin the face of political pressure.