Florida vs. Social Media Companies

What’s the deal? Florida Governor has a legislative proposal to fine companies that block elected officials from platforms. The Florida House Committee on Commerce wants to take it further and “imposes daily fines on a technology company that uses its content and user-related algorithms “to suppress or prioritize the content related to political candidates.”

Why should we care? These nascent issues will decide how tech laws will be written. If one state acts, others will follow. There hasn’t been any laws directing tech companies one way or another. Issues of first impression like this are often wrought with unintended consequences.

How does this impact me? Tech is changing government affairs and lobbying. Tech is spending more money in the arena and the visions are clear. Whether it is protect data privacy or protect integrity of elections, tech is going to be in the middle of everything. For those of us who are science and math loving nerds, this is the time when we do our happy dance.

Governing | DeSantis: Penalize Social Media That Blocks Politicians