Lawrence, KS – According to the statement, many conservatives believe their first amendment rights are being restricted by companies like Facebook and Twitter. A state senator has introduced a plan to give people their voice back.
Federal law lets websites remove obscene, lewd, and violent material. It also says harassing and objectionable content can be restricted. That’s the part that concerns some people.
After the 2020 election and the controversies that followed, Hutchinson Senator Mark Steffen decided to sponsor a bill to address what social media allows. The new proposal specifically states that harassing and objectionable speech cannot include political information or expression.
Twitter would routinely apply fact checks to former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account. It was then suspended “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
The bill doesn’t favor conservatives or liberals, but it protects anyone from being marginalized on social media sites. Supporters of the bill said new social media sites like Parler are nice, but switching platforms shouldn’t be necessary.
If the bill is passed, Kansans would have the opportunity to report violations to the Kansas Attorney General to seek relief or compensation.