Leftist New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed a legislative package that includes a bill encouraging platforms to censor speech.
In a Dec. 24 press release, Hochul’s office bragged about alleged “Online Safety Legislation.” One bill in particular, S895B/A6789B, “Requires Social Media Companies To Disclose Their Terms of Service Relating to Hate Speech.” But “hate speech” is a vague and easily abused term, often weaponized by anti-speech leftists like Hochul and Big Tech censors as justification for draconian censorship.
In the release, Hochul’s office detailed how the S895B requires social media companies to inform users about terms of service, while also requiring social media “to submit to the [NY] attorney general certain terms of service reports,” and offer “remedies for violations.”
MRC Vice President for Free Speech America Dan Schneider set the record straight:
“We have all seen how the New York AG uses and abuses her office. Her ‘suggestions’ to the Big Tech platforms are really demands that, if not complied with, will result in her bringing all kinds of cases against them. If they don’t censor enough political speech, these tech companies can expect to be sued for not complying with business records laws, not enforcing enough diversity requirements, or not tying their shoes correctly. This is thuggish legislation designed to silence political opposition from the right. It is un-American and unconstitutional.”
Disturbingly, Assembly member Grace Lee (D-District 65) praised the legislation in the release while citing COVID-19 speech as justification for the Orwellian legislation. Lee hysterically whined about “hate and disinformation spread[ing] like wildfire” online and railed against Big Tech platforms for not censoring enough. “These companies have a responsibility to protect users from this hate, but have failed to do so,” she said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Murthy v. Missouri lawsuit have both revealed that the federal government pressured social media companies to censor free speech about COVID-19, including humor and satire. […]
— Read More: mrcfreespeechamerica.org
