A California court on Friday ruled a complaint by Donald Trump against Twitter that was not accepted: the former U.S. president wants to return to the social network where he was banned for inciting violence in January 2021.
The Republican billionaire and his co -plaintiffs have accused Twitter of censorshipin violation of their guaranteed constitutional right to free speech.
But the plaintiffs are not in a strong positionexplanation of California judge James Donato, because Twitter is a private company, and “the First Amendment only applies to speech restrictions imposed by the government”.
The rules of the platform provides contractual permission for Twitter to make its choice with respect to any account or content for any reason, even without reasonHe added.
Exiled after the Attack on the Capitol
Donad Trump was banned from major networks (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) after the attack on Capitol Hill by his followers on January 6, 2021, which he accused of being driven.
The platforms justified their decision by the risk of further incitement to violence.
Before being ousted on Twitter, the former head of state was followed by about 89 million people. He talks to them every day, alternating between the president’s announcements and attacks on his political enemies.
Donald Trump also asked the court to declare unconstitutional Section 230, a 1996 law that protects internet hosts from lawsuits related to content published by third parties.
But the magistrate replied that it would not hold unless the plaintiffs were proven to have suffered injuries.
Twitter or Truth Social?
The move came when Elon Musk reached an agreement with Twitter’s board of directors to buy the California -based company for $ 44 billion.
Tesla’s boss wanted to make it a bastion of freedom of expression, within the limits set by law, but with moderate content that was less restrictive than at present.
He considers that Twitter does censorship.
However, Donald Trump recently told the American media that he had no intention of returning to the platform even though Elon Musk invited him back. He launched his own social network in February, called Truth Social.
The judge left the door open for a revised complaint based on his comments.
Source: Radio-Canada
