In Challenging California Law, X Looks to Dismantle Transparency Policies Designed to Inform Consumers about Hate Speech and Harassment on the Platform
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Washington, DC — Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian American Justice Center (Advancing Justice – AAJC) took steps to support the upholding of California law AB 587 on behalf of Asian Americans, who comprise 37 percent of X users, and all users of social media platforms, through its filing of an amicus brief in X CORP. v. ROBERT BONTA.
Advancing Justice – AAJC , a national civil and human rights organization, maintains that the law should be upheld as a transparency measure, ensuring that users are fully aware of a platform’s terms of service and how it enforces those terms. Advancing Justice – AAJC also noted that X Corp.’s position on Section 230, which it invoked, would make it harder to enforce civil rights protections, essential for Asian Americans and additional communities of color, who tend to face discrimination not just by users but by platforms covered by Section 230.
“For years Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC has pushed Twitter, now known as X, to continue to improve and provide sustainable content moderation for Asian Americans and racial groups who face increased harassment and discrimination on the platform every day,” said Noah Baron, Assistant Director, Litigation at Advancing Justice – AAJC. “Over the last four years, Asian Americans have faced a significant rise in online harassment. They, and all users, deserve to know what, if anything, platforms are doing to protect them. It is imperative that laws like AB 587 remain intact, so platform providers report their content moderation standards and provide transparency around their enforcement.”
Knowing how social media websites regulate speech and content is especially important in deciding which platforms Asian Americans choose to use. AB 587 mandates that social media platforms publish their terms of service so consumers can understand what content moderation policies the platform imposes. In addition, the law requires social media platforms to prepare regular reports detailing the results of their content moderation policies set forth in those terms of service.
In its amicus brief, Advancing Justice – AAJC states that AB 587 should remain intact because it arms Asian Americans and other users with the knowledge about how social media platforms, such as X, are working to protect them (or not).
Read the amicus brief here.