DeSantis signs digital bill of rights for Floridians

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 262 on Tuesday, which created the Digital Bill of Rights for state residents.

Under the new legislation, search engines such as Google or Bing will have to disclose whether they prioritize search results based on users’ political ideology.

The 262 legislation also prevents government censorship by prohibiting government employees from “colluding with large technology companies to censor protected speech.”

“Floridians should have the right to control their own personal data,” DeSantis said in a statement.

“If a multi-billion dollar company is conspiring to take your data and sell it or use it against you, it is your right to be able to protect that data. Big Tech oligarchs will no longer be able to seize your personal information and deprive you of the right to access, confirm or delete that information as you wish.”

DeSantis also reported that the Digital Bill of Rights also protects:

• Right to opt out of sale of personal data.
• Right to protect children from collecting personal data.
• The right to know that your personal data will not be used against you when buying a home, obtaining health insurance, or being hired.
• The right to control personal data, including the right to confirm, access, and remove personal data from a social platform.
• The right to know how Internet search engines manipulate search results.

In addition, the bill prohibits government employees from using their positions to communicate with social media platforms by deleting content or accounts.

In addition, a government figure may not initiate or maintain an agreement or working relationships with social media platforms for content moderation.

To read the 262 legislation, click here.