Judge halted enforcement of New York law designed to chill free speech online
LONGBOAT KEY, Fla., Feb. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rumble, the video-sharing platform (NASDAQ: RUM), announced that a federal court has halted enforcement of a New York law that forces social media platforms to target constitutionally protected speech.
The law forced websites and apps to publish a policy explaining how to respond to online expressions that could be perceived to “vilify, humiliate, or incite violence” based on a protected class, but did not define any of those terms. Without any definitions the law would have covered constitutionally protected speech. New York’s law also required platforms create a way for visitors to complain about “hateful content” and mandated that platforms answered the complaints. In his decision, Judge Andrew Carter of the Southern District of New York explained that the law unconstitutionally requires social media networks to adopt the state’s message about the definition of “hateful content” and chills the constitutionally protected speech of social media users.
Rumble and Locals were joined in the lawsuit by constitutional law professor Eugene Volokh and represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.
Rumble General Counsel Michael Ellis said, “We applaud the court for recognizing that New York’s misguided attempt to chill online speech goes directly against the principles of freedom of speech. America’s founders would be proud today.”
“New York’s vague and overbroad law sought to stifle robust debate on the internet,” said FIRE attorney Daniel Ortner. “Today’s decision is a victory for the First Amendment that should be celebrated by everyone who hopes to see the internet continue as a place where even difficult and contentious issues can be debated and discussed freely.”
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Rumble is a high-growth neutral video platform that is creating the rails and independent infrastructure designed to be immune to cancel culture. Rumble’s mission is to restore the Internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit: https://corp.rumble.com
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