Appeals court dismisses anti-conservative bias lawsuit against top tech companies
What you need to know
- A lawsuit against Apple, Google, Twitter, and Facebook has been dismissed.
- It claimed that top tech companies were suppressing conservative views.
- A judge said that the claims were not actionable under the First Amendment.
A lawsuit against top tech companies claiming that anti-conservative bias has been dismissed in the U.S. appeals court.
As TechCrunch reports:
The lawsuit accused the four companies of collaborating to "intentionally and willfully suppress politically conservative content." The suit alleges that Freedom Watch enjoyed steady audience and revenue growth until the "suppression" started:
Specifically, the suit cited Loomer's ban from Twitter over comments she made about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The suit purported that "the Platforms" had entered into some kind of illegal agreements to suppress conservative news and media outlets, as well as content and advocacy.
In the ruling, Judge Trevor McFadden stated that the pursuer did not substantiate the claim that these companies were "state actors", further stating:
Interestingly, the judge concluded that whilst "selective censorship of the kind alleged by the Plaintiffs may be antithetical to the American tradition of free speech, it is not actionable under the First Amendment unless perpetrated by a state actor. Thus, their claim must be dismissed."
You can read the full ruling here.
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