(Reclaim The Net) The Connecticut legislature plans to pass Senate Bill 6410, which would see the creation of a censorship board.
The board would study online “harassment” of individuals and government officials and recommend laws to censor speech.
The board would have nine members, four of them from the minority Republican Party.
We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.
The bill states:
Such assessment shall include, but need not be limited to,
(1) short term and long term effects of harassing behaviors online on elected officials, public officials and residents of this state,
(2) what state or municipal action is needed to address negative online behaviors that consider a citizen’s right to freedom of speech versus an individual’s right to be free from harassment including, but not limited to, potential changes in state law concerning additional penalties or enforcement of online harassment, and
(3) establishing guidelines for the reporting of online harassment of elected state and municipal officials that find a balance between making elected officials accessible to the people whom they serve and protecting them from abusive, offensive, or threatening online harassment.
The Yankee Institute said that about 150 people commented on the legislation and most of them opposed it, saying it would “inhibit freedom of speech.”
In her testimony, Kate Prokop, the head of the Connecticut Residents Against Medical Mandates (CTRAMM) said that she was worried the law would be used to censor her organization, which was described as extremist by the liberal government during the pandemic.
“I’m not advocating for hate speech or condemning people. [I’m] against online censorship because it establishes an unnecessary paternal relationship with the government,” Prokop said. “Proposed Bill 6410 aims to limit constitutionally protected free speech online by demanding self-censorship from residents that have been gaslighted by elected officials for years.”
