1 of 1 The US Supreme Court begins a trial that could change the way social networks work Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein The US Supreme Court begins a trial that could change the way social networks work Photo: AP Photo /Mark Schiefelbein
The Supreme Court of the United States, a body equivalent to the Federal Court, began this Monday (26) to evaluate two lawsuits that could change the way Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and other social networks operate today.
Ministers are analyzing two laws from the states of Texas and Florida passed in 2021, months after Facebook and Twitter's decisions to ban Donald Trump over his posts related to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6 this year.
Although the details vary, both laws aim to address complaints from conservative politicians that social media companies are liberal and censor users based on their views.
State laws in Texas and Florida prevent social networks from moderating posted content and remove their authority to remove posts.
Experts interviewed by The New York Times predict that companies will be forced to curate content they don't want and create specific versions of their platforms for these states (and for others that may create) if the laws are passed Social networking laws are considered constitutional by the Supreme Court).
Several academics and privacy groups told the court that they view the two laws in question as unconstitutional, but acknowledged that the justices must preserve the state government's ability to regulate social media companies to some extent.
The trial is the appeal of the governor of Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supports the law that strips power from social networks, sees it as protecting society from the interests of what he called “Silicon Valley elites,” in a statement marking his signing of the bill. .
Associations representing social media companies filed suit in federal court, claiming the laws violated the platforms' speech rights.
This measure resulted in Florida's law being repealed, and the governor therefore appealed to the Supreme Court to have it reinstated. The one in Texas still applies.
Trump's lawyers also filed a brief in the Florida case asking the court to follow state law.
“People around the world use social media to communicate with friends, family, politicians and the public. Like the telegraph companies of yore, today's social media giants use their control over the mechanisms of this modernday 'public square' to direct and often suppress public speech,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
This Monday, ministers will begin collecting arguments in both cases and the decision could come in June 2024.
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