GOP governor wants tech companies to pay $100k a day for banning politicians

On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) proposed fining private tech companies who deplatform politicians who use their services to spread lies.

“Under our proposal, if a technology company deplatforms a candidate for elected office in Florida during an election, a company will face a daily fine of $100,000 until the candidate’s access to the platform is restored,” DeSantis told reporters.

The proposal comes less than a month after Twitter banned Donald Trump for life. The service removed Trump after he repeatedly praised and encouraged his followers who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump also used the service to promote lies and conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, repeatedly asserting that he had won the race and that it had been stolen by Democrats and President Joe Biden.

DeSantis campaigned in Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race on his close alignment with Trump; during the 2020 election, he campaigned for and with Trump in Florida.

Republicans, who have traditionally supported allowing private businesses to make their own decisions, have become increasingly critical of “Big Tech” as social media companies have enforced policies designed to curb the spread of misinformation.

From a Feb. 2 news conference:

RON DeSANTIS: Under our proposal, if a technology company deplatforms a candidate for elected office in Florida during an election, a company will face a daily fine of $100,000 until the candidate’s access to the platform is restored.

 

Again, any Floridian can deplatform any candidate they choose, you simply unsubscribe, and it’s a right that I believe belongs with the citizen.

 

Further, if a technology company promotes a candidate for office against another, the value of that free promotion must be recorded as a political campaign contribution enforced by the Florida Elections Commission.

 

And lastly, if a technology company uses their content and user-related algorithms to suppress or prioritize the access of any content related to a political candidate or cause on the ballot, that company will also face daily fines.

 

The message is loud and clear: When it comes to elections in Florida, Big Tech should stay out of it.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.