Legislation Introduced in Pennsylvania House to Combat Social Media Censorship

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is taking a stand against what they deem as “unfair censorship” on social media platforms. Representative Marla Brown (R-Lawrence County) has introduced new legislation aimed at preventing social media platforms from censoring users and journalistic enterprises in an unfair manner. The legislation also seeks to restrict Pennsylvania’s ability to influence social media platforms to censor user comments.

This move comes as social media platforms have faced criticism for their inconsistent, ineffective, politically biased, or improper policing measures to combat hateful or abusive messages online. Brown argues that determining what constitutes speech as “harmful” or “unacceptable” is subjective and can create a chilling effect, causing individuals to be fearful of expressing themselves freely.

The legislation highlights previous instances where social media platforms have banned individuals or restricted content, such as the banning of Former President Donald Trump from Twitter. It also mentions controversial decisions made by Twitter and Facebook to limit the sharing of news articles related to Hunter Biden’s emails, which was perceived as an attempt to protect Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Brown warns that without clear legal boundaries, government entities and social media platforms may abuse their authority to silence dissent, control narratives, and suppress political opposition under the guise of maintaining order. The new legislation aims to address these concerns and protect freedom of expression on social media platforms.