Rumble, a prominent social media platform, has filed a lawsuit against the state of California over its policies, which the company claims constitute “censorship, plain and simple.”

The lawsuit, filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, argues that the state is effectively forcing the platform to restrict political speech and limit content shared by its users.

At the center of Rumble’s legal challenge is California’s recent legislation aimed at combating deepfake videos and election disinformation.

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The laws, particularly Assembly Bill (AB) 2655, known as the “Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024,” and AB 2839, “Protecting Democracy Against Election Disinformation and Deepfakes,” seek to regulate political speech on platforms like Rumble.

According to Rumble and ADF, these bills would force the company to censor content that California state officials deem politically harmful, including content related to elections and political advertisements.

Rumble claims that California’s actions go beyond addressing misinformation and instead target free speech itself, particularly political opinions that the state government finds objectionable.

Phil Sechler, senior counsel for the ADF, expressed strong concerns over the implications of the laws, stating, “California’s war against political speech is censorship, plain and simple. We can’t trust the government to decide what is true in our online political debates.”

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Rumble’s CEO, Chris Pavlovski, also weighed in, emphasizing the platform’s commitment to free speech and creative independence. “The very thought of the government judging the content of political speech, and then deciding whether it should be permitted, censored, or eliminated altogether is about the most chilling thing you could imagine,” said Pavlovski.

“Rumble will always celebrate freedom and support creative independence, so we’re delighted to work with ADF to help protect lawful online expression.”

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The legal action comes amid concerns that the laws are politically motivated, particularly after California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed anger over a parody video mocking Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign announcement.

Newsom called the video, which exposed alleged hypocrisy within the Democratic Party, “illegal” and pledged to introduce legislation targeting such content.

A meme maker who created the video subsequently sued California over the law.

You can view it here:

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The ADF has long been involved in defending free speech, and they argue that these laws represent an overreach by the government in regulating online content.

The lawsuit points out that California’s efforts essentially force platforms like Rumble to alter their content and political perspectives to align with the state’s own political views.

The central issue of the lawsuit is the First Amendment right to free speech, including the ability to express political opinions online without government interference.

The ADF argues that California’s laws unfairly pressure platforms like Rumble to remove or label content based on the views of state bureaucrats.

The law suggests that content could be removed if it is deemed “reasonably likely to harm the reputation or electoral prospects” of candidates or “reasonably likely to falsely undermine confidence” in elections.

In their legal filing, the ADF notes that Rumble is one of the few platforms willing to challenge such overreaching censorship measures, particularly as other social media platforms have caved to government pressure in recent years. “Rumble is standing for free speech even when it is hard,” Sechler said. “Other online platforms and media companies must see these laws for what they are — a threat to their existence.”

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The lawsuit also highlights that these regulations could set dangerous precedents for other states looking to enact similar measures.

If successful, Rumble’s challenge could play a significant role in shaping the future of online speech in the U.S. as tensions between government regulation and free expression continue to escalate.

As the lawsuit progresses, it could signal a broader fight for free speech online, with platforms like Rumble leading the charge against what they see as increasing censorship under the guise of protecting democracy and national security.