Elon Musk’s X loses court bid to block California content moderation law
Al JazeeraDec 21, 2023
The Facts
US District Judge William Shubb on Thursday issued an eight-page decision dismissing an attempt by the Elon Musk-owned X, formerly known as Twitter, to block a California state law requiring social media companies to disclose how they moderate content on their platforms.
Law AB 587 was signed in 2022 by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who described the law as an opportunity to protect the public by making companies reveal their policies on content moderation and release data related to the enforcement of such policies.
The Spin
Left narrative
Nothing in this law would force Musk, the self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist, to do anything unconstitutional. The law merely requires X to report to the state data on what type of content it has banned, removed, or otherwise moderated. Musk’s decision to cut back on his content-moderation staff isn’t the state’s problem, and he’ll have to find a way to comply with the law.
Right narrative
This law is yet another move by those in government — in this case, leftists from a blue state — to stifle freedom of expression, particularly speech they don’t agree with or like. The law is so vague that social media platforms like X will have to block almost everything, and parody sites won’t be able to operate. The state should stay out of the content moderation game and allow the global town square to continue to function unhindered.