Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Fight Government Censorship
But they didn’t miss the chance to argue over who’s censoring who.
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Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced a bipartisan bill that they said will "hold the government accountable for censorship and violations of the First Amendment." They're calling it the Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression (JAWBONE) Act. They named it after jawboning, an act wherein the government attempts to persuade or pressure private companies into changing their moderation policies or to censor speech.
"Americans face significant hurdles in proving these violations," the senators said in their announcement. The JAWBONE Act, if it becomes a law, would "create a cause of action against any government agency or employee," even if it's just an unsuccessful attempt at censorship, and would allow plaintiffs to seek monetary damages. Under current laws, plaintiffs can only ask for injunction to prevent future violations. Government agencies...
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