Judge blocks Texas bill aimed at preventing social media companies from deplatforming people based on their 'viewpoint'

• A bill signed in Texas aimed to stop social media firms censoring people based on their "viewpoint."
• A federal judge blocked the bill on Wednesday, saying it violated the First Amendment.

A Texas bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in September, which was designed to stop social media companies from censoring users based on their political "viewpoint," has been blocked by a federal judge a day before it was due to come into force.

In a filing submitted to an Austin, Texas district court, Judge Robert Pitman ruled that the bill — called HB 20 — would violate social media companies' First Amendment right to exercise editorial control over the content that appears on their platforms.

"HB 20 prohibits virtually all content moderation, the very tool that social medial platforms employ to make their platforms safe, useful, and enjoyable for users," the filing states.

HB 20 was due to come into force on Thursday.

Pitman's ruling came in response to a legal challenge by NetChoice and the CCIA, two industry groups whose members include Google, Amazon, Meta (formerly known as Facebook), and Twitter.

The CCIA said in a press release: "Today's outcome is not surprising. The First Amendment ensures that the Government can't force a citizen or company to be associated with a viewpoint they disapprove of, and that applies with particular force when a State law would prevent companies from enforcing policies against Nazi propaganda, hate speech, and disinformation from foreign agents."

A similar bill signed in Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May was blocked by a federal judge in July, also citing First Amendment violations.

Abbott and DeSantis are among Republican lawmakers who say social media companies unfairly target conservative voices when enforcing their moderation rules. When he signed HB 20 in September, Gov. Abbott said: "There is a dangerous movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values."

Former President Trump also accused social media companies of displaying a bias against conservative voices.