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Judge blocks federal officials from contacting tech companies (www.engadget.com)

submitted 2 years ago by L4s to c/technology

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

A judge has blocked the Biden administration and other federal officials from communicating with social media companies in a case that could have far-reaching consequences for the country..

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[+] [email protected] 23 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] Brunbrun6766 33 points 2 years ago (2 children)

And they're going to show us this evidence right?..........right?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago

Is this evidence in the room with us right now?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago

What are you, some kind of communist? Of course not. They said it exists. That's enough.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Long story short, this judge thinks lying to the public about a pandemic, during a pandemic, is protected speech.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Well... Yes, it probably is. Because it's political speech, and because there's not a direct link to fraud or causal harm. See US v. Alvarez, 617 F. 3d 1198. When Trump says that he's a stable genius, that's protected speech even though 180 degrees opposed to the truth.

You'll notice that e.g. what Trump's attorneys said in public was very, very different from what they said to courts; it's a criminal offense to lie to courts, but it's largely legal and protected to lie to the public for political ends.

[–] SophismaCognoscente 3 points 2 years ago

I hate that I agree with this. On the one hand, “lying about a pandemic during a pandemic” sure sounds a lot like “shouting fire in a crowded theater,” but things like the lab leak theory aren’t really a matter of public health. While there are times when the government can and should fight dangerous misinformation, this is the kind of executive power that needs to be kept in check by the courts for the executive’s own good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

Calling disinformation about a global pandemic political speech sure is something.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 years ago

That’s one of the consequences of the damage that the Trump presidency did to the US that will haunt the country for the decades to come.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate 3 points 2 years ago

I'd like to know more details about the nature of the contacts. If the WH told a social media platform that they must remove some content "or else," that could be problematic for me. But if it was "Hey, we think this story is false and you should delete it" (said to a private entity), I don't see what the issue is.

[–] Javish 1 points 2 years ago

What horse shit.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 years ago

So that means Trump can't contact Truth Social & DeSantis can't contact Twitter if we fuck up & elect another fascist, right?

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