Attorney General Anne Lopez joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general urging the U.S. Supreme Court to make it clear that states have the authority to regulate social media platforms.
The amicus brief was submitted in two cases currently before the Supreme Court—Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton—which are challenges to laws passed in Florida and Texas.
The amicus brief is not submitted in support of any party in the case but focuses on states’ important interests in regulating social media platforms to prevent harm to their residents. “Like the other states joining this amicus brief, Hawaiʻi has a strong interest in preserving its right to regulate social media companies and the content they publish on their sites” said Acting Attorney General Matthew Dvonch, who is serving in that capacity while Attorney General Lopez is out of state. “It is extremely important that the U.S. Supreme Court understands the important role states play in, among other things, protecting minors from the risks of social media and preventing the use of social media for criminal purposes.” The amicus brief submitted by Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general explains that social media platforms present significant, diverse, and everchanging risks to Americans, especially the nation’s youth. To address that fact, states have taken action to protect minors from the risks posed by social media, to enforce data privacy and transparency requirements for platforms, and to combat the use of social media to facilitate human trafficking, the spread of child sexual abuse material, and the sale and distribution of fentanyl and other opioids.
The amicus brief urges the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize states’ important interests in these areas and to avoid interpreting the First Amendment to immunize social media platforms from regulation.
Joining Attorney General Lopez in filing today’s brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia
Original source can be found here.