![]() Julia Nikhinson/Reutersįederal judge blocks Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companiesĪnd in an extraordinary comparison to George Orwell’s novel “1984,” Doughty invoked the book when he said “the evidence produced thus far depicts an almost dystopian scenario.” “American citizens have the right to engage in free debate about the significant issues affecting the country.”Ī view of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2023. “Opposition to COVID-19 vaccines opposition to COVID-19 masking and lockdowns opposition to the lab-leak theory of COVID-19 opposition to the validity of the 2020 election … is a perfect example of viewpoint discrimination of political speech,” he wrote. In a 155-page memo supporting his order, Doughty said the plaintiffs in the case “are likely to succeed on the merits in establishing that the Government has used its power to silence the opposition.” It also applies to more than a dozen top administration official, such as US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The agencies and officials the order applies to include the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Justice Department and the FBI. The injunction, however, says that the government can still communicate with the companies as part of efforts to curb illegal activity, address national security threats and combat voter suppression and foreign attempts to influence elections. The order applies to communication with social media companies that “include Facebook/Meta, Twitter, YouTube/Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat, TikTok,” as well as a number of other online platforms. ![]() Here’s what to know about Tuesday’s order.ĭoughty, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, outlined 10 actions that agencies and officials are prohibited from taking, including “specifically flagging content or posts on social-media platforms and/or forwarding such to social-media companies urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner for removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.” Legal experts say that the order is overly broad and scholars on online misinformation warned that it could have a chilling effect on the government’s efforts to curtail lies about public health emergencies and elections. Though Doughty hasn’t yet ruled on the merits of the two states’ claims, the injunction represents their most significant victory yet in the ongoing lawsuit. The order is part of a lawsuit brought by the Missouri and Louisiana attorneys general in 2022 that accuses the Biden administration of effectively silencing conservatives by pressuring the private social media companies in its effort to moderate online misinformation about Covid-19. On Wednesday, the administration notified the court that it plans to appeal the order. ![]() The preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana ordered a slew of federal agencies and more than a dozen top officials not to communicate with social media companies about taking down “content containing protected free speech” that’s posted on the platforms. A federal judge’s order Tuesday prohibiting various Biden administration agencies and officials from communicating with social media companies about certain content thrust an under-the-radar lawsuit into the national spotlight.
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