Unlike the rest of the country, in California there’s a hate speech exception to the First Amendment. From Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com:
California is one pen stroke away from enacting a controversial bill that would impose fines of up to $1 million on major social media platforms that fail to censor contentdeemed in violation of state civil rights laws.
On Monday, SB 771 passed bother chambers of the state legislature, where it now sits on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk awaiting his signature.
While critics warn that the measure will lead to EU-style censorship of lawful speech, state Democrats justify the bill by citing “rising incidents of hate-motivated harm,” including “hate crimes involving anti-immigrant slurs.”
Nothing about violent leftist groups targeting conservatives, of course.
The bill cites data from the Human Rights Campaign and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), showing a 400% rise in “anti-LGBTQ+ disinformation and harmful rhetoric on major social media platforms.
According to the bill, “The purpose of this act is not to regulate speech or viewpoint but to clarify that social media platforms, like all other businesses, may not knowingly use their systems to promote, facilitate, or contribute to conduct that violates state civil rights laws.”
So, it is to regulate speech or viewpoint.
How’s that High Speed Rail coming along?
Duh, winning.