Supreme Court Blocks Texas' 'de-platforming' Law

The United State Supreme Court has barred a Texas Legislation prohibiting Social Media Corporations from monitoring certain types of internet expression. The bill would have prohibited larger digital companies from excluding or limiting Texas consumers based on their political beliefs. Republicans in the state felt it was vital to offset social media's alleged liberal slant. However, IT groups complained that the rule violated private enterprises' free speech rights.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday, in a rare 5-4 decision, to a plea sponsored by tech titans to temporarily halt the law's implementation. Industry organisations trying to overturn the Act claimed that it breached the right to free expression, including the ability of private companies to pick what content to distribute on their platforms. Silicon Valley activists said that "without the freedom to filter their platforms, the state legislation would have turned Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube into "havens of the vilest expression imaginable."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the bill into law in September of last year, stated at the time that the act was meant to eliminate bias against conservative ideas while also protecting free speech.