Strangely enough, yesterday (Wed) was also the day the DC appeals court
dismissed a lawsuit filed all the way back in 2018 by "
Freedom Watch" (the same people who are trying to sue China for $20 trillion in damages over COVID-19) alleging that tech companies (specifically Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter) violated the First Amendment when they "...engaged in a conspiracy to intentionally and willfully suppress politically conservative content. "
The ruling stated that: "The Plaintiffs do not show how the Platforms’ alleged conduct may fairly be treated as actions taken by the government itself," which is a fancy way of saying that companies cannot violate the First Amendment [on their respective platforms], because banning users [from platforms they own] doesn’t constitute
government abridgment of free speech.
The ink is barely dry, yet I have a feeling the precedent it sets will be used to turn any expected Executive Order into Swiss cheese.
--Patrick