Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) insists he will make censoring Republicans “against the law” in his state.
“The United States of America was built on freedom of speech and healthy public debate. Big Tech’s efforts to silence conservative viewpoints is un-American, un-Texan, and it is unacceptable and pretty soon it’s going to be against the law in the state of Texas,” Abbott said during a news conference on Friday.
Watch the video below:
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) goes on a big rant about big tech and says censorship of conservative views will be “against the law” in Texas soon. pic.twitter.com/NDA9ImXAIM
— The Recount (@therecount) March 5, 2021
State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R) joined Abbott and is the sponsor of a bill that would fulfill the governor’s promise.
According to the proposal, to censor means to “block, ban, remove, deplatform, demonetize, de-boost, restrict, deny equal access or visibility to,
or otherwise discriminate against expression.”
Abbott said the bill “prohibits social media companies from censoring Texans” based upon their “viewpoints.” It also creates a way for people who have been “canceled, censored or deplatformed” to seek legal action and get back on the platforms.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) introduced legislation of his own to punish tech companies who “deplatform” candidates running for office in his state.
The bill asks the Florida state legislature to fine tech companies who do so up to $100,000 per day.
“It’s high time that we step up to the plate to ensure the protection of the people and their rights,” DeSantis said at the Florida Capitol on Tuesday.
He slammed big tech companies as “enforcers of preferred narratives” whose interests are “not in the public interest.”
“As these companies have grown and their influence expanded, big tech has come to look more like big brother with each passing day,” DeSantis said.
Former President Donald Trump blasted Twitter and Facebook before the November election for “protecting Biden,” as IJR reported.
During a Fox News interview, he was asked if the social media giants were “cheating” or “biased” in the election.
“One hundred percent and frankly, that’s turning out to be as big a story as the corruption itself. They are trying to protect him, because that’s the way it is with the Democrats. It’s a part of the Democrat Party, I guess,” Trump said.
He added, “They’re trying protect Biden from this corruption where they got caught and that’s turning out to be just as big of a story.”
When asked if it was “censorship,” Trump replied, “Of course, it’s at a level that nobody thought possible.”
Twitter banned Trump just days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, as IJR previously reported.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier last month the social media platform would be extending the suspension of the former president’s account indefinitely.