Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) unveiled another piece of legislation in his new offensive against big technology.
The Technology Transparency Act will “check the growing power and influence of big tech” from the Sunshine State and allow Floridians to “take back their privacy,” DeSantis said at a news conference Monday.
“We will shift the balance of power back to consumers and away from Big Tech because Floridians are no longer at the mercy of those …… companies,” the Republican governor said, “and we will have a more balanced approach where consumers have partial control over their most sensitive data.”
The bill, if passed in the state House and Senate, would force tech platforms to disclose data they have on Floridians to those users and delete that information if requested.
The law would also require companies not to sell that data and create legal avenues to sue for non-compliance.
It remains to be seen whether one state will be able to regulate such huge companies that operate on a global scale.
Still, DeSantis supported the legislation and its role in the courts, saying Monday, “They operate in Florida. (As in) what’s the difference between renting a car in California and here?”
Earlier this month, DeSantis unveiled a proposal to crack down on social media companies themselves. This legislation is a follow-up.
The first round of legislation targeted any platform found to be blocking politicians and candidates for public office with a $100,000 daily fine.
“Today they might go after someone who looks like me. Tomorrow, they might go after someone who looks like you.” The Republican governor said, eschewing the typical political divide.
In particular, he noted that Twitter suspended then-President Trump‘s account “due to the risk of further incitement to violence” after the Jan. 6 congressional riots. He also cited the New York Post’s blocking by Twitter of a story on Hunter Biden‘s overseas dealings last year.
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