Bill Aimed At Internet/Social Media Censorship Filed In Wyoming

A bill that would take aim at censorship or discrimination against viewpoints by social media platforms, interactive computer services, and businesses has been filed in the Wyoming Legislature.

You can read Senate File 100 here. It is sponsored by Senator(s) Steinmetz, Biteman, French, Hicks, Kolb and Salazar and Representative(s) Bear, Gray, Hallinan, Haroldson, Hunt, and Jennings. According to the legislation, the bill would aim for

''prohibiting discrimination based on viewpoint, race, religion and location by interactive computer services, social media platforms and businesses as specified; providing legislative findings; specifying a breach of fiduciary duty for release or loss of private information; defining terms related to the prohibitions on discrimination; providing remedies for violations as specified; specifying applicability of prohibitions; specifying severability; and providing for an effective date."

The bill goes on to say:

''(iii)  Interactive computer services and companies appear to be increasingly censoring expression on their services and platforms based on the point of view of the person making the expression;

 (iv)  In Hudgens v. NLRB, 424 U.S. 507 (1976), the United States Supreme Court has recognized that statutory or common law may, in some situations, extend protection or provide redress against a private corporation or person who seeks to abridge the free expression of others;

 (v)  The laws of the several states and of the United States already protect against obscene, violent, harassing and other dangerous expression."

The Wyoming Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on Monday, March 1 in Cheyenne. It will be a General Session, meaning any topic can be addressed in a bill without it needing a 2/3 majority vote for introduction.