2019 -- H 5500

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LC001232

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE - PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR

ACTIONS - SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP PROTECTION ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representative Justin Price

     Date Introduced: February 14, 2019

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 10 of the General Laws entitled "COURTS AND CIVIL

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PROCEDURE - PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR ACTIONS" is hereby amended by adding

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thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 21

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SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP PROTECTION ACT

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     10-21-1. Legislative findings.

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     The state has a compelling interest to hold certain social media websites to higher

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standards for having substantially created a digital public square. The state has an interest in

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helping its citizens enjoy their free exercise rights in certain semi-public forums commonly used

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for religious and political speech.

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     10-21-2. Definitions.

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     As used in this chapter:

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     (1) "Algorithm" means a set of instructions designed to perform a specific task;

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     (2) "Hate speech" means a phrase concerning content that an individual arbitrarily finds

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offensive based on his or her personal moral code;

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     (3) "Obscene" means that to the average person, applying contemporary community

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standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest;

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     (4)(i) "Political speech" means speech relating to:

 

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     (A) The state;

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     (B) The government;

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     (C) The body politic;

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     (D) Public administration; or

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     (E) Government policy making.

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     (ii) "Political speech" includes speech by the government or candidates for office and any

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discussion of social issues.

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     (iii) "Political speech" does not include speech concerning the administration or the law

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of or relating to the civil aspects of government;

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     (5) "Religious speech" means a set of unproven answers, truth claims, faith-based

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assumptions, and naked assertions that attempt to explain the greater questions like how things

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were created, what humans should or should not be doing, and what happens after death; and

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     (6) "Social media website" means a website or application that enables users to

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communicate with each other by posting information, comments, messages, or images and:

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     (i) Is open to the public;

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     (ii) Has more than seventy-five million (75,000,000) subscribers; and

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     (iii) Has not been specifically affiliated with any one religion or political party from its

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inception.

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      10-21-3. Cause of action.

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     The owner or operator of a social media website who contracts with users in this state is

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subject to a private right of action by a social media website user if the social media website

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purposely:

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     (1) Deletes or censors a social media website user's religious speech or political speech;

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or

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     (2) Uses an algorithm to suppress political speech or religious speech.

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     10-21-4. Damages.

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     (a) Damages available to a social media website user under this section include without

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limitation:

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     (1) A minimum of seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) per purposeful deletion or

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censoring of the social media website user's speech in statutory damages;

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     (2) Actual damages;

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     (3) Punitive damages if aggravating factors are present; and

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     (4) Other forms of equitable relief.

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     (b) The prevailing party in a cause of action under this section may be awarded costs and

 

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reasonable attorneys' fees.

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     (c) A social media website that restores from deletion or removes the censoring of a

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social media website user's speech in a reasonable amount of time may use that fact to mitigate

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any damages.

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     (d) A social media website may not use the social media website's user's alleged hate

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speech as a basis for justification or defense to the social media website's actions at trial.

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     10-21-5. Exemptions.

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     (a) A social media website is immune from liability under this chapter if it deletes or

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censors a social media website user's speech or uses an algorithm to disfavor or censure speech

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that:

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     (1) Calls for immediate acts of violence;

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     (2) Is obscene or pornographic in nature;

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     (3) Was the result of operational error;

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     (4) Was the result of a court order;

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     (5) Came from an inauthentic source or involved false impersonation;

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     (6) Enticed criminal conduct; or

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     (7) Involved minors bullying minors.

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     (b) A social media website is not liable under this chapter for a social media website

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user's censoring of another social media website user's speech.

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     10-21-6. Standing.

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     (a) Only users who are over eighteen (18) years old have standing to enforce this chapter.

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     (b) The attorney general may also bring a civil cause of action under this chapter on

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behalf of social media website users who reside in this state whose religious speech or political

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speech has been censored by a social media website.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE - PROCEDURE IN PARTICULAR

ACTIONS - SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP PROTECTION ACT

***

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     This act would prohibit certain social media companies from censoring users speech by

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either removal of the user's speech or using algorithms to prevent the user's speech.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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