US judge limits Biden officials' contact with social media sites

Washington DC (US), July 5 : President Joe Biden's administration is prohibited from contacting social media companies concerning content moderation by a federal judge in the United States, reported Al Jazeera.

Judge Terry Doughty ordered the injunction in a court filing on Tuesday in response to a complaint filed by Republican Attorneys General in Louisiana and Missouri. They claim that in trying to push social media platforms to rectify inaccurate content, the government went too far.

According to Doughty, the government's efforts to curtail untrue statements about the COVID-19 pandemic and the election "arguably involve the most massive attack against free speech in United States history."

Doughty, a federal judge appointed by former president Donald Trump, had earlier blocked the need that instructors to receive COVID-19 immunisation in January 2022, as per a report of Al Jazeera.

Additionally, he prohibited healthcare workers from being required to receive a vaccination; however, the US Supreme Court mainly overturned this decision.

His Tuesday filing makes multiple allusions to right-wing talking points. Even still, Republicans who contend that Biden, a Democrat, used the COVID-19 pandemic to censor speech in the name of battling "misinformation," have celebrated Tuesday's injunction as a triumph.

Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Republican, referred to the judgement as "a huge win for the First Amendment and a blow to censorship." He accused the Biden administration of creating "a vast censorship enterprise" and colluding with media firms, according to Al Jazeera.

The US has been debating over the past few years where to draw the line between curbing the online propagation of potentially dangerous information and the freedom of speech.

Even still, Republicans who contend that Biden, a Democrat, used the COVID-19 pandemic to censor speech in the name of battling "misinformation," have celebrated Tuesday's injunction as a triumph.

Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, a Republican, referred to the judgement as "a huge win for the First Amendment and a blow to censorship." Creating "a vast censorship enterprise" and "colluding" with media companies, he claimed, were actions taken by the Biden administration.

The US has been debating over the past few years where to draw the line between curbing the online propagation of potentially dangerous information and the freedom of speech.

Efforts to restrict, for example, false statements about the 2020 election have sparked complaints about conservative censorship on social media.

In Tuesday's order, filed with the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Judge Doughty made some exceptions to his injunction: The government could, for example, communicate with social media companies on issues of national security and criminal activity, Al Jazeera reported.