The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 383 on Tuesday. It is Senator Rob Standridge’s legislation which would set up the right for an Oklahoman to sue social media companies for censorship of political or religious speech.
“There have been cases where social media posts discriminate against conservative views and social media platforms censor or delete posts supporting those views,” Standridge said. “Nonviolent political posts are being censored just for having a differing opinion and citizens should be able to have a chance at civil recourse.”
SB 383 would apply to social media companies which delete posts or use algorithms to suppress political or religious speech. If the post calls for immediate acts of violence or enticed criminal conduct, the social media company would be exempt from the lawsuit. The bill does not apply to individuals who may remove remarks from their posts.
“Selective censoring of opinion on social media should not be prevalent in a country where freedom of speech is a fundamental right,” Standridge said. “While it is important to keep the internet safe by censoring violent or other criminal content, censoring posts solely for a differing political opinion is wrong. This measure will protect free speech.”
Next stop for SB 383 is the Senate floor.
