Trump judge blocks government from working with social media companies to fight disinformation: report

A Trump-appointed federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration from communicating or meeting with social media companies, The Washington Post reports.

In a ruling largely viewed as a victory for conservatives, Judge Terry A. Doughty issued the injunction in response to Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who argued in a lawsuit that the government overreached in efforts to stop the spread of vaccine disinformation and baseless allegations of election fraud.

The Post’s Cat Zakrzewski describes the injunction as an “extraordinary” ruling that “could upend years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies.”

The attorneys general contend that the Biden administration is behind a “sprawling federal ‘Censorship Enterprise’” that aims to pressure social media companies to censor posts expressing controversial political views and conservatives in particular, the report said.

The attorneys general in court filings described such efforts “the most egregious violations of the First Amendment in the history of the United States of America.”

Doughty’s ruling includes exceptions for communications between the government and social media companies for national security threats or criminal activity, the report said.

Zakrzewski writes that “The ruling could have critical implications for tech companies, which regularly communicate with government officials, especially during elections and emergencies, such as the coronavirus pandemic.”

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