Social Media Companies Will Fight Against Texas Censorship Law

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican and ally of US President Donald Trump, issues an executive order requiring face coverings in public spaces as the state marks record numbers of new infections. Governor Greg Abbott/YouTube /

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new bill Monday that will target the censorship terms of social media companies like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

The new law will stop social media companies from banning users who share their political views, particularly conservatives. Abbott along with several other Republicans believe the social platforms mostly censor conservative users.

The new bill would allow Texas residents that have been banned from a social media platform for sharing their political views to sue the company.

“We will always defend the freedom of speech in Texas, which is why I am proud to sign House Bill 20 into law to protect first amendment rights in the Lone Star State,” Abbott said in a statement.

“Social media websites have become our modern-day public square. They are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas. That is wrong, and we will not allow it in Texas.”

Despite the passing of the new law, it doesn’t mean social media companies will quietly accept the new conditions.

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter plan to fight back against Abbott’s new bill, and trade groups representing the technology industry vowed to challenge the law.

Steve DelBianco, the president of NetChoice, believes the social media companies will be successful in overturning Abbott’s after they challenged a similar law in Florida, which was later ruled unconstitutional.

“The same outcome will almost certainly occur in Texas,” DelBianco said.

“Moderation of user posts is crucial to keeping the internet safe for Texas families, but this bill would put the Texas government in charge of content policies.”