Complete Story
03/18/2024
SCOTUS Examines Whether Government can Combat Disinformation Online
Its decision will impact false, misleading or dangerous information online
In a major case testing the role of the First Amendment in the internet age, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Monday hears arguments focused on the federal government's ability to combat what it sees as false, misleading or dangerous information online.
Last September, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the most conservative federal appeals court in the U.S., issued a broad ruling that barred key government officials from contacts with social media companies. Among the personnel targeted in the order were officials at the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Office of the Surgeon General, the FBI and an important cybersecurity agency.
The appeals court said individuals at those agencies likely violated the First Amendment by seeking to coerce social media platforms into moderating or changing their content about COVID-19, foreign interference in elections and even Hunter Biden's laptop. The Supreme Court has put that ruling on hold while it examines the tricky issues in the case.
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