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Social media users would have speech rights protected

State Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, and a Republican colleague will soon introduce a bill designed to curb the power of social media companies.

Hutchinson and state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-33rd, issued a policy memorandum Monday outlining the future “Social Media Accountability Act,” which the two lawmakers said would “further protect people’s speech from undue restriction and censorship.”

The memo said the legislation would require social media companies to inform users in writing about why their account was banned or disabled within 30 days, and to give users recourse to restore their account after such an action.

“There is no doubt that freedom of thought and speech are fundamental rights for both individuals and a functional healthy society, and the growing tendency of Big Tech to limit or censor speech is gravely concerning,” the memorandum stated.

It is unclear whether Pennsylvania would have the ability to enforce this legislation if passed, and Nathan Akers, Hutchinson’s legislative director, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

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