House Democrats are pushing legislation that would allow platform users to sue Big Tech companies for “emotional injury.” House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) skewered the legislation and those pushing it.
Remember the good old days when Americans were asked to surrender their rights due to war or terror? Now people are pushing to eliminate freedom of speech and the First Amendment in the name of protecting liberals’ feelings.
“On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee discussed several pieces of legislation that would result in amendments to Section 230 (the law that protects online platforms from liability for content posted by users),” Reclaim The Net reported.
One of the proposals, the “Justice Against Malicious Algorithm Act,” would allow social media users to sue tech companies for causing severe emotional injury. McMorris Rodgers criticized the proposal as a “thinly veiled attempt to pressure companies to censor more speech,” according to a Dec. 1 press release.
“The proposal will put companies on the hook for any content an algorithm amplifies or recommends that contributes to ‘severe emotional injury’ of any person,” she said.
McMorris Rodgers pointed out the absurdity of crafting legislation around emotional injury: “How does the bill define ‘severe emotional injury’? Well, it doesn’t,” she said. “Clearly, companies will have to decide between leaving up content that may offend someone and fight it in court, or censor content that reaches a user – which do you think they’ll choose?”
She added that she believes that the bill proposes to silence any content that doesn’t line up with liberal ideology.
Reclaim The Net quoted Color of Change President Rashad Robinson reportedly suggesting the First Amendment must be overhauled: “I understand that we have these conversations about the First Amendment, but there are limitations to what you can and cannot say.”
An unnamed Democratic Party panelist discussing the proposed legislation before the House Energy and Commerce Committee reportedly suggested that freedom of speech does not translate to “freedom of reach.” Another panelist insisted that “lies are not free speech.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your local representative and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
