The Leadership Conference’s Response to Murthy v. Missouri Decision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariah Wildgen, [email protected]
Civil rights leader calls on Big Tech and government to address disinformation ahead of 2024 elections
WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Murthy v. Missouri:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision in Murthy v. Missouri is a narrow decision, but it allows, rightfully, for our government to go to bat for public health and the integrity of our elections. The Fifth Circuit had wrongly blocked the federal government from interacting with tech companies to protect us from misinformation, whether around a public health emergency like COVID or voting. The Supreme Court’s majority correctly reversed the Fifth Circuit injunction on the basis that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue.
“Disinformation is not a partisan issue nor an issue of free speech on private social media platforms. Manufactured and malicious disinformation is an underlying threat to the fabric of our democracy, public health, and civil rights. Online voting disinformation and hate speech stokes fear and distrust in our election infrastructure, misleads voters on where and how to vote, and sows hate against historically marginalized communities and public servants. We watched in horror as lies about the source of the COVID virus led to violence against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. There are extremists leading large-scale disinformation campaigns in order to divide us, dismantle our democracy, and take our electoral power away. We will not stand for that. We will fight for the thriving multiracial democracy we all deserve.
“Let’s be clear: Big Tech can and should address the spread of disinformation online to ensure that consumers have access to truthful information about their health and voting. Unfortunately, some tech companies have reversed course on sound policies to address dangerous disinformation.
“But the government also has a significant role to play. While we should ensure that our government does not overstep, today’s decision allows the government to call on social media platforms to take stronger actions against misinformation as we head into critical elections that will determine the future of this country. The administration must use its full authority to hold accountable bad actors that use disinformation to suppress voter turnout and undermine the integrity of our elections. Congress, too, must do its job to protect our elections and empower voters, especially as artificial intelligence tools increase the ability of bad actors to create false or doctored content that users might believe to be real.”
In May 2024, The Leadership Conference Education Fund released Cause for Concern 2024: The State of Hate, which notes the historical failure of social media companies to adequately address hate speech and disinformation. In June 2024, The Leadership Conference, together with other civil rights and public interest organizations, urged tech companies to take immediate steps to protect democracy and meaningfully address the spread of voting disinformation designed to suppress the vote.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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