{"id":1173680,"date":"2021-12-30T20:49:12","date_gmt":"2021-12-31T01:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1173680"},"modified":"2021-12-30T20:49:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-31T01:49:14","slug":"democrat-run-states-are-pushing-laws-to-target-social-media-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-run-states-are-pushing-laws-to-target-social-media-misinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat-Run States Are Pushing Laws To Target Social Media \u2018Misinformation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrat-run-states-are-pushing-laws-to-target-social-media-misinformation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1173680&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Democratic state lawmakers are proposing laws to curb \u201cmisinformation\u201d on social media sites and other online platforms, mirroring efforts by Democrats in Congress.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cSocial media algorithms are specially programmed to spread disinformation and hate speech at the expense of the public good,\u201d said New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who announced a bill Monday aimed at preventing social media companies from promoting \u201cfalse\u201d or \u201cfraudulent\u201d content that could endanger the public. \u201cThe prioritization of this type of content has real life costs to public health and safety.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>California Assemblyman Ed Chau introduced&nbsp;a bill, AB 35, in December 2020 that would require social media platforms to disclose their policy and mechanisms for reducing misinformation and their plans for addressing manipulative or deceptive practices.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Democrats\u2019 state-level efforts to combat alleged misinformation mirror the party\u2019s efforts in Congress, where Democratic members have introduced legislation targeting social media companies over the content for which they provide a platform.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Democratic state lawmakers are proposing laws to curb \u201cmisinformation\u201d on social media sites and other online platforms, mirroring efforts by Democrats in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nysenate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/brad-hoylman\/anniversary-january-6-insurrection-approaches-senator-brad\">announced<\/a>&nbsp;a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nysenate.gov\/legislation\/bills\/2021\/s7568\">bill<\/a>&nbsp;on Monday aimed at reducing the spread of misinformation and harmful content online.<\/p>\n<p>The bill seeks to prohibit, among other things, social media companies from \u201cknowingly or recklessly\u201d promoting content through recommendation algorithms or other means that \u201cincludes a false statement of fact or fraudulent medical theory that is likely to endanger the safety or health of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSocial media algorithms are specially programmed to spread disinformation and hate speech at the expense of the public good,\u201d Hoylman said. \u201cThe prioritization of this type of content has real life costs to public health and safety.\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/30\/house-panel-censorship-facebook-rashad-robinson-frances-haugen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: House Panel On Tech Accountability Includes Pro-Censorship Advocates)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hoylman cited <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/05\/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-senate\/\">testimony<\/a>&nbsp;from former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, in which she said Facebook\u2019s algorithms amplified hateful and incendiary content, as justification for the bill. Haugen leaked internal Facebook communications and research to journalists and lawmakers detailing the tech giant\u2019s business practices with regard to COVID-19 misinformation and election fraud content on the platform.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7296992\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7296992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing entitled \u2018Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower\u2019 on Capitol Hill on Capitol Hill, October 05, 2021 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Jabin Botsford-Pool\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSo when social media push anti-vaccine falsehoods and help domestic terrorists plan a riot at the U.S. &nbsp;Capitol, they must be held accountable,\u201d Hoylman said. \u201cOur new legislation will force social media companies to be held accountable for the dangers they promote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bill seeks to create a mechanism of enforcement by allowing private citizens, as well as the state\u2019s Attorney General, to sue companies that amplify false and dangerous content.<\/p>\n<p>However, as the bill aims to restrict speech traditionally protected under the First Amendment, its constitutionality is dubious, according to legal experts. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/19\/facebook-morning-consult-poll-censor-frances-haugen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: POLL: Majority Of Americans Want Facebook To Censor More Content)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis bill\u2019s attempt to restrict the dissemination of that constitutionally protected content is facially unconstitutional,\u201d Santa Clara University School of Law professor Eric Goldman <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/12\/26\/ny-bill-aims-to-hold-social-media-companies-accountable-for-disinformation\/\">told<\/a>&nbsp;The New York Post.<\/p>\n<p>California Democratic state lawmakers have also set their sights on limiting social media misinformation, though they have opted for bills intended to force social media companies to be more transparent regarding misinformation policies.<\/p>\n<p>California Assemblyman Ed Chau <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210122184825\/https:\/a49.asmdc.org\/press-releases\/20201207-chau-introduces-legislation-combat-misinformation-online\">introduced<\/a>&nbsp;a bill, AB 35, in December 2020 that would require social media platforms to disclose their policy and mechanisms for reducing misinformation and their plans for addressing manipulative or deceptive practices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proliferation of misinformation can have a severe impact on the psychological and emotional well-being of Californians, which makes access to accurate information all the more important,\u201d Chau said, adding that social media platforms have \u201cbecome an avenue for those interested in spreading misinformation, including acts of fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though the legislation is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/CA\/bill\/AB35\/2021\">stalled<\/a>&nbsp;in committee, another California bill, AB 587, introduced several months later seeks additional transparency compliance from online platforms.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7243081\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7243081\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7243081\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290.jpg\" alt=\"Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks during a U.S. Senate Rules Committee Georgia Field Hearing. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290-279x120.jpg 279w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290-620x266.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290-768x330.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290-1536x660.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/klobuchar-1-scaled-e1626981623290-2048x880.jpg 2048w\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7243081\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks during a U.S. Senate Rules Committee Georgia Field Hearing. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/a45.asmdc.org\/press-releases\/20210329-california-legislators-introduce-bipartisan-effort-hold-social-media\">legislation<\/a>, sponsored by eight Democrats and one Republican and introduced in March 2021, would require social media platforms to \u201cfile semi-annual reports\u201d disclosing their policies on hate speech, misinformation, extremism and other issues, as well as their plans to combat this objectionable content. The bill would also force companies to disclose data and metrics on the aforementioned content every quarter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalifornians are becoming increasingly alarmed about the role of social media in promoting hate, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and extreme political polarization,\u201d Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel said, announcing the bill. \u201cIt\u2019s long past time for these companies to provide real transparency into their content moderation practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bill attracted support from several advocacy organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, whose CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, said the legislation would \u201cmove us closer to holding social media companies accountable for the hate and harassment they allow on their platforms.\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/24\/pierre-omidyar-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-frances-haugen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Left-Wing Billionaire Pierre Omidyar Is Funding An Anti-Facebook Campaign Targeting Online \u2018Misinformation\u2019)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Democrats\u2019 state-level efforts to combat alleged misinformation mirror the party\u2019s efforts in Congress, where Democratic members have introduced legislation targeting social media companies over the content for which they provide a platform.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/07\/22\/democrats-facebook-section-230-misinformation\/\">unveiled<\/a> a bill in July which would remove Section 230 liability protections from social media platforms that promote \u201chealth misinformation,\u201d as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This would enable private citizens to sue tech companies if they are recommended this content.<\/p>\n<p>Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/14\/frank-pallone-big-tech-facebook-frances-haugen\/\">introduced<\/a>&nbsp;legislation in October which would remove Section 230 immunity from platforms that recommend \u201cpersonalized\u201d content contributing to \u201cphysical or severe emotional injury\u201d of a user, thereby enabling individuals to sue if they are harmed by promoted content.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers said the bill would help curb the spread of \u201cdisinformation\u201d and \u201cextremism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic state lawmakers are proposing laws to curb \u201cmisinformation\u201d on social media sites and other online platforms, mirroring efforts by Democrats in Congress. \u201cSocial media algorithms are specially programmed to &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1173680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1173680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1173680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1173680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1173680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1173680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}