The Supreme Court has supported the Joe Biden administration’s right to liaise with social media companies for the removal of posts considered as misinformation.
What Happened: The Supreme Court justices voted 6-3 to overturn restrictions on the White House and several federal agencies’ interactions with social media platforms, reported Bloomberg on Wednesday.
These restrictions, previously enforced by a federal appeals court, contended that government officials had unconstitutionally pressured platforms into removing posts about the pandemic and the 2020 election.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, representing the high court, stated that the challengers – two states and five residents – lacked legal standing to pursue their lawsuit against the federal government. The challengers failed to establish “any concrete link between their injuries and the defendants,” Barrett wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the ruling will enable the administration to encourage social media companies to safeguard the safety and security of Americans.
“This Administration engages with social media and other technology companies on critical topics, including terrorism threats, foreign malign influence campaigns, online harassment of women and children, and mental health of children and adolescents,” Jean-Pierre said. “The Supreme Court’s decision today ensures this work can continue as the country faces ongoing threats online.”
Why It Matters: Three conservative justices—Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch—dissented. Writing for the group, Alito stated that the ruling “permits the successful campaign of coercion in this case to stand as an attractive model for future officials who want to control what the people say, hear, and think.”
The ruling grants the administration more leeway to engage with social media companies, although the extent of government activity as the November election nears remains uncertain.
Despite the lifting of restrictions in October, the administration has maintained a cautious approach and has not communicated with platforms about election-related matters, an official disclosed in March, the report noted.
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