Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday targeted the nation’s largest technology companies, which he described as a group of “monopoly communications platforms” based on how they grew to regulate public discourse.
Earlier Tuesday, DeSantis announced a crackdown on technology companies over content moderation, which he equated with political manipulation, and reiterated the conviction of many conservatives that Silicon Valley is biased against legalism.
“We think this is something Floridians want protection against, and I think it will ultimately be a very good first step,” DeSantis told Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday.
There has always been the question, ‘What are you doing about this? “Many of us have long thought something was wrong, but to sit back and hope it gets better is clearly not going to work. So we lead and I think it will be good. ‘
DESANTIS SETS DAILY PENALTIES FOR GREAT TECHNICAL OFFENDERS
In an effort to keep Big Tech out of the Florida political realm, DeSantis has proposed a number of measures, including a $ 100,000 daily fine for companies that weaken political candidates. In addition, actions taken by businesses to promote a candidate effectively will be considered as campaign contributions.
The governor has proposed measures to improve user rights as well, including allowing individuals and the Florida Attorney General to sue companies for violations of individual protection, and also for companies to give full disclosure of actions against individuals for violating policies.
“It’s not just banned on Twitter. As we’ve seen, these companies can come together,” DeSantis told host Tucker Carlson. “They can deny you if you’re a small business … payment processing, the ability to use emails and text messages, so you’re going to a rally you do not like, or if you think wrong, and all of a sudden, your flower business was beheaded for a month because they acted. ‘
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The Republican acknowledged that the initiative was likely to cause a “major battle in the legislature.”
“Hopefully we can get a lot of support,” he said. “Most people want protection for their privacy and data. Most people want protection not to be depleted. I think it will be received very positively, but we are trapped. We know that there is always a fight over these things, so stay tuned. ‘
Fox News’ Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.