New Calif bill aims to control speech with ‘fact checkers’ to regulate social media, websites

The state of California might be going full-tilt totalitarianism if a new bill that seeks to stifle opposing views and differing opinions is passed.

California Sen. Richard Pan introduced SB1424 “Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan” that on the surface seeks to regulate social media within the state. But, a deeper look into the bill, shows that the speech stifling consequences could spread well beyond the Golden State.

As you read the bill, “you see it appears to define social media as any Internet blog, website, or communication,” Investigative reporter Jon Rappoport noted.

The bill reads in part:

Existing law prohibits a person, among others, from making or disseminating in any advertising device, or in any manner or means whatever, including over the Internet, any statement concerning real or personal property or services that is untrue or misleading, as specified.

This bill would require any person who operates a social media, as defined, Internet Web site with a physical presence in California to develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Web site. The bill would require the plan to include, among other things, a plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories, the utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories, providing outreach to social media users, and placing a warning on a news story containing false information.

The bill goes on to list how it will implement its plan to regulate speech, with open-ended bullet points:

(a) Any person who operates a social media Internet Web site with physical presence in California shall develop a strategic plan to verify news stories shared on its Internet Web site.

>(b) The strategic plan shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) A plan to mitigate the spread of false information through news stories.