The following statement is attributed to Kate Tummarello, Executive Director of Engine:
Statement:
“The Texas and Florida social media laws constrain the ability of Internet companies to make their platforms safe and relevant for their communities of users. While the conversation has been focused on large technology companies, the laws will impact startups that host user content—which have limited time and resources to spend on compliance and already see content moderation as a business imperative—as they launch and make plans to grow.”
Background:
Engine submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, highlighting how the Texas and Florida social media laws could reshape the landscape for startups hosting user content. While discussions around content moderation predominantly centers on large Internet companies, our brief highlights the ways these laws will create obligations and costs that factor into startups decisions to launch and grow, including transparency, appeals, and must-carry requirements.
Our brief dives head first into these challenges and features insights from real startup founders with examples illustrating how these laws would reshape their companies, communities of users, and growth trajectories. The state laws being challenged would make it harder for all Internet platforms, including startups, to keep their corners of the Internet safe, healthy, and relevant to their users, and the Supreme Court should strike them down.
