If the First Amendment applies to Twitter, and therefore Twitter can't allow public officials to block users even from their personal accounts, then it follows that, well, the First Amendment applies to Twitter, and therefore Twitter can't censor political content or ban users for their political views. [More]Right, but expecting consistency hardly seems realistic.
[Via Michael G]
2 comments:
Yeah, I think this reporter is playing fast and loose.
Trump’s account blocked certain people, and the courts said this was a violation of the First Amendment’s “petition for grievances” condition. Twitter did not initiate or alter this blockage, so the case says nothing about the First Amendment “applying to Twitter.” It applies to Trump, as president, on the receiving end.
His other claim about the distinction between Trump’s “personal account” and his “government account” are more defensible, but when Trump uses his “personal account” pretty much exclusively, that line would be a hard one to defend.
Twitter and Facebook are "public accommodations", the SCOTUS has already ruled that as such they cannot block anyone based on their political views, race, or religion. That's a combination of federal law and SCOTUS rulings.
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