Get the latest tech news

Supreme Court examines whether government can combat disinformation online


The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Missouri, Louisiana and five individuals who were either banned from social media during the pandemic or whose posts, they say, were not prominently featured.

Catie Dull/NPR In a major case testing the role of the First Amendment in the internet age, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday hears arguments focused on the federal government's ability to combat what it sees as false, misleading or dangerous information online. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two states, Missouri and Louisiana, and five individuals, including vaccine opponents, who either were banned from some internet platforms at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic or whose posts, they say, were not prominently featured on social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter. Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler said she was particularly struck in reading the lower court opinions in this case because "there really was no recognition ... that the vast majority of these communications between the government officials and the social media companies related to a global health crisis."

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of disinformation

disinformation

Photo of Online

Online

Photo of government

government

Related news:

News photo

Supreme Court Wary of Limiting Government Contact With Social Media Companies

News photo

Government approves millions for hydrogen-electric rail technology of the 'future': 'Only very few rail lines in the US are electrified'.

News photo

SpaceX is reportedly building hundreds of spy satellites for the US government