# Plain Language Summary: Protecting Constitutional Rights from Online Platform Censorship Act

This bill would make it illegal for social media platforms and other internet companies to remove or restrict access to content that users post, as long as that content is protected by the Constitution or other laws. Right now, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have broad power to decide what stays on their sites and what gets taken down. This bill would severely limit that power by saying platforms can't restrict "protected material"—which the bill defines very broadly as anything protected by the Constitution or any federal, state, or local law.

If a platform violates this rule, users could sue the company in state or federal court and potentially win between $10,000 and $50,000 per piece of content that was removed or restricted. This creates a financial incentive for users to take legal action against platforms they believe wrongfully censored them. The bill would take effect 30 days after becoming law.

The practical impact would be significant: platforms would face major legal and financial risks if they remove posts, ban users, or limit content visibility—even for things like misinformation, hate speech, or content that violates their terms of service. This could fundamentally change how social media companies operate, as they currently rely on the ability to moderate content to manage everything from spam to illegal material. The bill's broad definition of "protected material" means almost any content could potentially qualify for protection, since it includes anything protected under any law at any level of government, making it unclear exactly what platforms could still remove.

Protecting Constitutional Rights from Online Platform Censorship Act

DesJarlais, Scott

Protecting Constitutional Rights from Online Platform Censorship Act This bill eliminates the immunity of a provider or user of an interactive computer service (e.g., social media company) from liability for restricting certain offensive material, and it prohibits an internet platform from taking action to restrict a user's material that is protected under the Constitution or federal, state, or local law.