INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Lobbying groups representing Facebook(FB.O), Twitter(TWTR.N), Google (GOOGL.O) and other tech companies filed an emergency request with the
United States Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to block a Texas law that prohibits large social media platforms from banning users based on
their political views.The Texas law went into effect on Wednesday when the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state&s
request for a stay of a district judge&s injunction blocking the law.The law forbids social media companies with more than 50 million active
users per month from banning members based on their political views and requires them to publicly disclose how they moderate content.It was
signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, in September.Internet lobbying groups NetChoice and the Computer -
Communications Industry Association filed a lawsuit against the measure, and United States District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas,
issued a preliminary injunction in December.Pitman had found that the law would harm social media companies& free speech rights under the
First Amendment of the United States Constitution.The tech groups, in their emergency request, asked the Supreme Court to &allow the
District Court&s careful reasoning to remain in effect while an orderly appellate process plays out.The post Tech firms ask United States
Supreme Court to block Texas social media law first appeared on Ariana News.
