Federal Appeals Court Blocks California Social Media Law

A federal appeals court has partially blocked a California law requiring social media platforms to disclose their content moderation policies, siding with Elon Musk's company, X Corp (formerly Twitter). The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the law's requirements were overly broad and likely infringed on First Amendment rights by compelling companies to provide opinions on controversial content like hate speech and misinformation. This ruling reverses a previous decision by U.S. District Judge William Shubb, who had deemed the law non-burdensome. The court instructed the lower court to consider separating the content moderation provisions from the rest of the law. This case is part of a larger trend of legal challenges against state regulations on social media content moderation practices. The ruling reflects ongoing debates about the balance between regulatory transparency and free speech in the digital age.