TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to crack down on social media companies and what he calls “selective censorship.”
At a press conference in Tallahassee Tuesday, the governor said that he would push for legislation that would protect Floridians’ free speech from “Big Tech.”
“These platforms have played an increasingly decisive role in elections and have negatively impacted Americans who descend from orthodoxies favored by the Big Tech cartel,” DeSantis said.
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The governor pointed to Twitter shutting down President Trump’s account and the removal of Parler as evidence that the companies are only “de-platforming” Republicans.
Flanked by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Rep. Blaise Ingoglia of Hernando County, the governor announced his plans to hold social media companies accountable.
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DeSantis said any tech company who de-platforms a candidate in Florida during an election will be fined $100,000 a day until that candidate’s access is restored.
He also said that any company that promotes one candidate over another must be reported as a campaign contribution.
“The message to Florida should be very clear, we will no longer allow this to happen,” DeSantis said.
The governor also called on Congress to put a stop to social media companies censoring views they don’t agree with.
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