Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill allowing people to sue big tech firms over alleged censorship - and the state to fine companies $250,000
- All Floridians can now sue tech companies if they believe the platforms are censoring them unfairly.
- Tech companies can also now be fined up to $250,000 a day if they violate the new law.
- The bill was driven by a right-wing belief that internet platforms discriminate against conservatives.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday allowing tech companies to be fined over flagging or banning users over their content, as CBS Miami reports.
The bill, dubbed SB 7072, is designed to prohibit "a social media platform from willfully deplatforming" political candidates in Florida. If a company does de-platform a candidate running for statewide office, the Florida Election Commission could fine it $250,000 a day.
The bill also allows all online users in Florida to sue big tech firms if they believe the platforms are violating the new law. They could win up to $100,000 in statuary damages, according to the bill.
Gov. DeSantis tweeted on Monday morning that "Floridians are being guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley power grab on speech, thought and content. We the people are standing up to tech totalitarianism with the signing of Florida's Big Tech Bill."
The act will go into effect on July 1, according to the state website.
The law is the first state-level legislation in the US created in response to alleged anti-conservative bias online, according to Apple Insider. Some Republicans believe that tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter have censored right-wing voices, including former President Donald Trump. However, research shows conservative content flourishes online.
The theory has taken center stage in tech regulation conversation in the past year as US lawmakers have wrestled with tech platforms over how they police content online. Democrats are advocating for greater oversight as well, except they are arguing that platforms have failed to more heavily crack down on misinformation.
Florida's Republican lawmakers first approved the bill in the Florida House of Representatives in late April, proposing a daily fine on social media platforms that attempt to "silence" politicians and citing First Amendment rights.
The bill was supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who urged lawmakers in his state to sign on to his crusade to take big tech companies to task for actions that he said discriminate against conservatives.
DeSantis has not shied away from slamming tech companies and social media platforms including Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, for what he calls "Orwellian" media collusion to censor conservatives.
According to a report from the AP, the idea for the bill was inspired by Twitter permanently suspending Trump's Twitter account in the wake of the Capitol riots, for fear that the former president's tweets would incite violence.
"Let's send a message to these Big Tech monopolies that Florida will no longer stand for their shenanigans," Republican Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, told the AP.
Read more: How Silicon Valley banished Donald Trump in 48 hours
Democrat lawmaker Rep. Anna Eskamani cited Trump's January Twitter ban when arguing against the fine, dismissing the bill as part of Floridian Republican's efforts to appeal to their voter base.
"This bill is a retaliation for the former presidential administration being banned from social media sites by spreading false information, inciting riots, sedition, and violence," Eskamani told the outlet.