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Supreme Court defines when it’s illegal for public officials to block social media critics

The Verge · 1y ago

Medial

The Supreme Court has established a test to determine when a public official can be considered to be engaging in state action in blocking someone from their social media account. The court issued a unanimous decision that states the official must have both actual authority to speak on behalf of the state and exercise that authority when posting on social media. The distinction between private conduct and state action depends on substance, not labels, and disclaimers on social media pages could play a role in determining liability. The ruling has implications for protecting free speech and dissent in digital public forums.