Florida law prohibiting social media from banning politicians faces legal challenge

Florida passed a bill prohibiting social networks (e.g. Twitter) from suspending the accounts of politicians (e.g. Trump and his cronies), unless the social network also operates a theme park (i.e. Disney). The absurd law, complete with its comically servile exemption for the local corporate giant, will receive an immediate legal challenge.

The law's supporters argue it fights "deplatforming" of users based on political speech, saying social networks have "morphed into the town square" and become public spaces. Courts have contradicted the latter claim outside extremely specific exceptions, determining that Section 230 mostly lets social networks make their own moderation decisions — and states can't simply supersede that federal rule. However, the Florida bill let lawmakers and DeSantis signal support for a Republican backlash against Silicon Valley, whether or not it actually takes effect.