Tech vs. Texas

Tech trade groups representing Facebook, Twitter and Google are vowing to fight what Texas is labeling as a crackdown on social media “censorship” of conservatives.

Under legislation signed Thursday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), social media companies with more than 50 million monthly users are forbidden from banning users based on their political views.

The sites are required to implement a complaint and appeals process for the content they remove, in which they provide a reason that content was removed and a review of their decision. The measure also bans email service providers from impending transmission of emails based on content.

Steve DelBianco, president and CEO of NetChoice, a coalition supporting online businesses, said in a statement that the bill “clearly violates” the First Amendment.

“This law essentially creates a new Fairness Doctrine for the internet which will only make it harder for conservatives to share their news and views online,” he said.