Florda
Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by legislative leaders to highlight proposed
legislation that would increase technology transparency in Florida, particularly
as it relates to “Big Tech” firms like Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, Apple,
Amazon, and Google. The Governor was joined at today’s announcement by
Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, House Speaker Chris Sprowls, Senate
President Wilton Simpson, Senator Danny Burgess and House Commerce Committee
Chair Blaise Ingoglia, who has introduced a bill in the Florida House of
Representatives entitled, the “Transparency in Technology Act.”
“In Florida, our message to Big Tech is loud and clear,” said Governor DeSantis.
“Big Tech companies have long since abdicated the protection of consumers for
the pursuit of profit and we can’t allow Floridians’ privacy, voices, or
livelihoods be violated or diminished. When it comes to elections, Big Tech
shouldn’t be in the business of censoring or de-platforming candidates, but
rather, voters should be able to make that choice independently. Floridians
should be able to choose which content to consume and which to ignore, because I
want to preserve Florida’s rich, diverse public discourse and not allow
corporate-owned, content managing outlets to dominate our voices. With the help
of our legislative partners, we’re going to stand together and support
Floridians and put a stop to Big Tech’s practice of preying on, censoring and
de-platforming consumers.”
“Tech leaders in Silicon Valley should not be the gatekeepers of what
information is available to Floridians,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette
Nunez. “Governor DeSantis and our legislative leadership are committed to
holding big tech accountable for their arbitrary censorship policies.”
“A fundamental understanding of what it means to be an American is that we have
equal access to the town square — a place where we can share our thoughts, our
ideas and our beliefs with fellow citizens,” said House Speaker Chris Sprowls.
“The use of mystery algorithms, shadow banning and other deceptive techniques
distort the public square like a fun-house mirror, exaggerating our fears and
feeding our rage. If democracy is going to survive, we must stand up to these
technological oligarchs and demand transparency.”
“Big Tech has a duty to allow different views on their public platforms. No one
should be excluded, but let’s be clear, they are targeting conservatives and
engaging in political censorship,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson. “While
Congress has the full power to make changes to the terrible policy that allows
big tech to discriminate, we will do everything in our power to stop the abuses
and allow Floridians the right to express their views. Thank you, Governor
DeSantis and Speaker Sprowls, for your leadership on this issue.”
“Big Tech should not be allowed to discriminate based on content and ban
individuals just because they do not agree with their viewpoint,” said Senator
Danny Burgess. “Regardless of a person’s background, political history,
religion, race, gender, or any other identifying measure, Twitter and Facebook
and others cannot be the sole judge, jury, and executioner of American’s First
Amendment rights. For better or for worse, this is the new town square and
social media has become a major part of our everyday life and society. The
unilateral actions we have seen in recent weeks set a terrifying precedent that
must be addressed appropriately. We hear from constituents every day who cannot
fathom that this type of blatant political censorship is happening in our
country. We are going to do everything we can at the state level to address this
issue.”
“Big Tech has a death grip on public discourse, and the Florida House is calling
for transparency and accountability once and for all,” said Commerce Committee
Chair Blaise Ingoglia. “Whatever we see and what we engage with on social media
is whatever the Big Tech giant deems we should be fed. Our proposal will give
users the power to understand how they are being manipulated.”
Floridians
have a right to know how these companies shape what they see and control what
they say. The proposed legislation announced today would aim to require big tech
firms to do the following:
Publish standards used to ban posts, de-platform and shadow ban users.
Provide equal access for established news organizations and qualified political
candidates to reach users free from manipulation by algorithms.
