Texas's new social media law would force sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to carry Russian propaganda, posts promoting eating disorders and racist screeds such as the one thought to be posted online by the gunman who allegedly killed 10 people in a Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store last weekend, according to tech industry groups that are trying to squash it in court.
That is not, of course, how the Texas Republicans who back the law, passed last year, see it. Republican lawmakers say it will stop big social media platforms from removing posts or banning users based on their political viewpoints. It's based in long-standing right-wing accusations that Silicon Valley companies censor conservatives — claims the tech companies deny.
