I read an article in the news today about the State of Florida outlawing the ability of social media services to “deplatform” (kick out) users who violate their terms of service. It sounds un-Constitutional to me.
Florida lawmakers, led by Trump bootlicker and potential 2024 Presidential candidate Governor Ron DeSantis, want to punish social media providers who would have the audacity to deny their platform to abusive candidates during an election campaign.
Gee, I wonder what brought this on?
Could it have been caused by the provocative use of social media by Donald Trump in 2020 that violated every rule of Facebook and Twitter and ended with Trump using those social media sites to egg on supporters to riot and trash the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021???? The ex-President was “deplatformed” for that seditious behavior.
Excuse me for saying this, but…the government doesn’t own the Internet or any of the social media companies who ply their trade therein. What gives the State of Florida the right to regulate commerce in this fashion?
Just as a shop owner has the right to deny service to patrons (“No shirt, no shoes, no come in!”), the social media companies have the right to deny service to prospective customers…particularly those who refuse to behave according to the rules laid down by the service provider. When someone desires to participate in social media, that person must agree to abide by the behavioral standards set by the provider. Donald Trump did that…and then violated those standards.
“You do the crime, you have to serve the time”…at least that’s what we teach our youngsters.
What comes next? Is government going to fine broadcast media who refuse to report an obviously erroneous story? Is Papa Giuseppe’s pizza parlor going to have to admit shoeless patrons…because they’re Republicans?
We’re already being asked by those deranged politicians to pretend that President Trump was cheated out of re-election and that the January 6th Capitol Riot was merely a bunch of tourists who were innocently sightseeing on Capitol grounds.
Now, it seems, that same political party is trying to legislate the ability of government to punish corporations who won’t promulgate The Big Lie.
Our country is circling the drain, Folks.