DeSantis Proposes 'Digital Bill of Rights'

Facts

• Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday unveiled what he called the “Digital Bill of Rights,” which is meant to prevent Big Tech firms from harming children, breaching citizens’ privacy, and censoring users.¹
• DeSantis’ list of proposals, which will be considered by the Florida legislature in March, includes a ban on TikTok and other social media platforms with ties to China at schools and colleges.¹
• Another proposal will prevent tech companies from collecting information by listening to private conversations without consent. DeSantis also wants to use Florida’s consumer protection laws to stop platforms from applying their terms of service with “a thumb on the scale against the people they disagree with politically.”²
• Other Florida legislators have filed bills with similar intentions — including one to require schools to block students from social media sites while on school grounds, and one to make social media education part of the state’s standardized curriculum.³
• DeSantis’ proposals have the support of Ashley Moody, Florida’s attorney general, and Mark Glass, the state’s commissioner of law enforcement.⁴
• Although he has yet to announce his intentions, DeSantis is expected to be a candidate for the GOP nomination for president in 2024 with his concerns about Big Tech among his top issues.¹

Sources: ¹Colorado springs gazette, ²FOX News, ³The capitolist and ⁴One America.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Www.theepochtimes.com. DeSantis is standing up for his citizens’ fundamental rights and cracking down on Big Tech. Social media shouldn’t be able to stifle debate, and any actions that counter the sites’ claims that they’re open forums should be considered fraud.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Politico. On the heels of his floating of several other far-right policy proposals, DeSantis is throwing more red meat to potential supporters to strengthen his hold on their votes ahead of him inevitably announcing his bid for the GOP presidential nomination. Like his past attempts to regulate social media, these proposals will get tied up in the courts.