The U.S. government settled the Murthy v. Missouri social media censorship lawsuit originally filed against the Biden administration. This agreement prohibits federal agencies from threatening or pressuring platforms to suppress constitutionally protected speech.
The settlement bars the Surgeon General’s office, the CDC, and CISA from influencing content moderation. Missouri, Louisiana, and individual plaintiffs alleged federal officials coerced platforms to censor content regarding COVID-19 and elections.
The agreement establishes a 10-year injunction against using legal, regulatory, or economic penalties to influence private companies. This ruling applies to major platforms including Meta’s Facebook, Google’s YouTube, and X.