(USNewsBreak.com) – In early 2021, Facebook banned former President Donald Trump from its platform until at least 2023. He also received a lifetime ban from Twitter. Both social media giants took the drastic step while he was still in office, citing concerns after the January 6 Capitol incident about the potential for him to incite violence.
On July 7, 2021, the former president announced his intention to file a class action lawsuit against big tech for “censorship of the American people.”
Former President Donald Trump, who was kicked off of Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms earlier this year, will reportedly announce class action lawsuits Wednesday against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.https://t.co/Qqm0gbYfsh
— Will Feuer (@WillFOIA) July 7, 2021
Trump filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida where he now lives. It specifically names CEOs Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), and Sundar Pichai (Google) as contributors to the overall complaint.
This important move is a logical “next step” in the escalating fight between Trump and America’s largest social media giants. The former president calls it a fight for free speech, and is against censoring ideas on the basis of bias. He feels his bans are evidence that “big tech is out of control,” warning that platforms could effectively remove anyone if they had the hubris to do so to a sitting president.
The filings seek injunctive relief to restore the banned accounts along with a request for punitive damages. Support behind this legal step comes from the pro-Trump group American First Policy Institute.
This is just another example of the fight against big tech’s power over censoring only right-leaning posters and political personalities. Governor Ron DeSantis (FL) signed a bill to fine companies for removing politicians, but it was later blocked by a federal judge. Texas also advanced a similar bill through its Senate earlier this year.
Should big tech companies operating as social media platforms have the right to censor and prohibit people from sharing opinions? Does this fall under free speech, or is it acceptable because businesses have the right to operate as they see fit?
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