California used to be trumpeted as the cutting edge of American culture.
It still is, except the culture is now all about censoring free speech.
California Senator Richard Pan, who was behind the infamous 2015 law
mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren (SB277), has stepped up to the
plate and introduced another bill.
This one would clamp down on criticism of ANY Official Story.
The bill is titled
"SB1424 Internet: social media: false information: strategic plan."
It targets social media based in California.
But as you read the bill, you see it appears to define social media as any Internet blog, website, or communication.
SB1424 is brief. Read it:
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.
(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.
(2) The utilization of fact-checkers to verify news stories.
(3) Providing outreach to social media users regarding news stories containing false information.
(4) Placing a warning on a news story containing false information.
(c) As used in this section, "social media" means an electronic
service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited
to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, instant and
text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site
profiles or locations.
Getting the picture?
It's a free speech killer.
If it passes, agencies of the California government will develop
numerous regulations for enforcement, including penalties for "speech
criminals."
Saying this bill violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution is a
vast understatement. The last time I looked, the Founders mentioned
nothing about fact checkers or warnings attached to speech.
"Open borders and a flood of immigration into California are destructive
to---wait. My statement has been precluded by warnings and
fact-checker overrides..."
Or: "VACCINES ARE DANGEROUS. Ahem, I am making a debatable assertion
and I must warn you that official experts strenuously disagree with me,
and furthermore, the California Fact Checkers United, a division of
Merck-Snopes Thought Police, has determined that my assertion is
groundless and harmful to children's health..."
There needs to be a relentless tsunami of protest in California over
this Orwellian bill. I know of a number of Internet news operations in
the state. They must jump in and lead the way.
In case you believe there are too many websites and blogs based in
California to enforce a new draconian law, let me explain how the game
works. Behind closed doors, the state government would decide to focus
on a few big issues. For example, gun control, vaccines, and
immigration. Enforcement agencies would go after the biggest Internet
operations expressing politically unacceptable points of view on those
subjects. At first. A spread of smaller operations would feel the heat
later.
So-called fact checkers would come from government supported groups who
agree with Official Positions. In other words, they wouldn't be fact
checkers at all. They would be prime news fakers.
When it comes to the issue of vaccines, for example, they would cite the
notoriously biased "experts" at the Centers for Disease Control, never
mentioning that the CDC buys and sells $4 billion of vaccines a year.
If, 10 or 15 years ago, someone told you a bill like SB1424 was going to
come before a state legislature for a vote, you would have thought you
were listening to a Hollywood pitch for a sci-fi movie script.
But now it's real. It's here. Believe it.
CRUSH IT.
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