U.S. is barred from combating disinformation on social media. Here's what it means

Visitors stand near screens displaying the Meta logo in Berlin on June 6. Under a U.S. judge's new ruling, much of the federal government is now barred from working with social media companies to address removing content that might contain "protected free speech." (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)

The government's ability to fight disinformation online has suffered a legal setback that experts say will have a chilling effect on communications between federal agencies and social media companies.

A Tuesday ruling by a federal district judge in Louisiana could have far-reaching consequences for the government's ability to work with Facebook and other social media giants to address false and misleading claims about COVID, vaccines, voting, and other issues that could undermine public health and erode confidence in election results.