Texas Social Media Bill to Reanimate in Special Session

An internet industry group suing Florida for trying to regulate social media warned Texas Thursday not to do the same. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced a special session that began Thursday and will include a bill “safeguarding the freedom of speech by protecting social-media users from being censored by social-media companies based on the user’s expressed viewpoints, including by providing a legal remedy for those wrongfully excluded from a platform.” Lawmakers didn’t vote on Senate-passed SB-12 before the regular session ended (see 2106010052). “Constraining digital services’ ability to take action against harmful content and behavior could put Texans at greater risk of exposure to harms online,” said Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers. Florida said last week it will appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the decision by the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee to freeze Florida’s law (see 2107010055).