A federal judge barred the Biden administration and top government officials from speaking with social media companies about a broad host of topics on Tuesday, issuing a preliminary injunction that could severely limit efforts to combat disinformation online.
The decision stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who have accused the Biden administration of overstepping when working with social media giants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials have worked closely with tech companies in recent years to address vaccine misinformation and hesitancy on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as issues surrounding election interference, terrorism and child sexual abuse.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty, barred many government agencies from talking with such companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.” The judge, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said he had heard evidence of a “far-reaching censorship campaign.”
“It is quite telling that each example or category of suppressed speech was conservative in nature. This targeted suppression of conservative ideas is a perfect example of viewpoint discrimination of political speech,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “American citizens have the right to engage in free debate about the significant issues affecting the country.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth,’” he added.
Doughty has not yet issued a final ruling in the case and the injunction can be appealed. The government is still allowed to communicate with tech platforms about crimes, national security threats or foreign efforts to interfere in elections.
A White House official said the Justice Department was reviewing the injunction.
“This Administration has promoted responsible actions to protect public health, safety, and security when confronted by challenges like a deadly pandemic and foreign attacks on our elections,” the official said, per The Washington Post. “Our consistent view remains that social media platforms have a critical responsibility to take account of the effects their platforms are having on the American people, but make independent choices about the information they present.”
The order puts limits on agencies across the government, including the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Republicans have railed against social media companies for years, accusing such platforms of enacting policies that amount to censorship of conservative voices.