“More attempts to chill free speech in the ‘free’ State of Florida,” said one Democratic lawmaker.

  • Kepabar@startrek.website
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    10 months ago

    In the era of social media it’s become common for someone’s racism views posted on their personal social media to get forwarded to their professional relationships (employer, clients) leading to fallout, for example.

    This is an attempt at stifling that sort of thing. When this first started the people on the receiving end complained about ‘freedom of speech’.

    They where told freedom of speech isn’t freedom of consequences.

    This is Floridas attempt at getting rid of the consequences by silencing free speech, ironically.

    • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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      10 months ago

      Isn’t truth a complete defense against defamation? As in, if your statement is provably true then it is by definition not defamation (like, this is why the news makes such heavy use of the word “alleged”). So, for example, forwarding someone’s personal social media to their employer couldn’t be defamation, presuming you weren’t claiming someone else’s social media was theirs or something. Always make sure when you dox someone you get the right John Smith, I guess?

      • Kepabar@startrek.website
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        10 months ago

        Yes, truth is a defense.

        The grey area this law attempts to exploit is that terms like ‘racist’ have no absolute definition. The term can be used as a response to anything from ‘i don’t like Indian food’ to ‘Hilters views on the aryan race were right’.

        Take the Indian food example. If you were you say that, and I called you a racist for it, is that a matter of opinion on my behalf or a fact that is the basis of a defamation suit?