A Short List of Texas’ Wildest, Most Nonsensical Investigations and Laws Against Big Tech

The Lone Star State is certainly going at it alone towards large tech, or at the very least that’s the way it appears by the piles of threadbare allegations, lawsuits, and investigations towards the likes of Google, Facebook, and GoFundMe, simply to call a couple of.

It’s greater than honest to be onerous on large tech corporations, however Texas’ biggest hits of inane or partially insane lawsuits have probably not introduced among the world’s strongest corporations to heel. Though they may make voters again dwelling really feel empowered that “the man” is one way or the other sticking it to… “the man,” most of Texas’ tried lawsuits have to this point come to naught.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is a continuing determine on this battle, and over time he has launched lawsuit after lawsuit focusing on social media corporations like Facebook and tech giants like Google. Paxton has sued to overturn the 2020 election and—in fact—he’s used the facility of his workplace for a lot worse stuff than that, bringing an investigation towards the household of a trans teen for the younger individual’s gender affirming care. A decide later discovered that investigation had completely no merit.

Paxton, who fellow Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn as soon as known as “a source of embarrassment,” is going through his personal 12 monthss outdated felony case and a more recent FBI investigation over bribery and abuse-of-office allegations. His supporters don’t mind that so long as he will get to personal the libs, one frivolous lawsuit at a time.

And he’s not the one one banging a hole and sharp sounding gong towards large tech. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and different lawmakers within the Texas legislature all stood behind payments to curb social media content material moderation, even whereas the governor desires more companies to comply with Tesla founder Elon Musk in making a brand new nest inside the state.

And whereas European our bodies just like the European Commission have arguably been way more efficient (if not controversially) about reining in large tech via antitrust legal guidelines, Texas can solely actually declare one current victory, permitting Texas social media customers the flexibility to sue social media corporations for his or her accounts or posts being blocked or banned. However, the U.S. Supreme Court put a maintain on the legislation, whereas falling wanting truly making a choice on its constitutionality.

The factor is, a few of these lawsuits even have a degree, particularly with how these large tech corporations deal with person knowledge. Yet the fixed bombardment of lawsuits and baseless accusations has carried out little to vary the way in which tech corporations function, and the one profit appears to be officers’ standing in entrance of their supporters. Meanwhile, the state has welcomed different tech ventures like energy-hungry crypto mining with open arms. Never thoughts what it would do to the state’s ever-strained energy grid.

Anyway, right here’s a non-inclusive listing from solely the previous few years of ill-considered lawsuits and wild claims each the Texas AG and different state officers have made towards the most important tech corporations.