Former US President Donald Trump has moved to court to challenge social media companies for suspending him. Trump has instituted class action suits against Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s video-streaming app, YouTube together with the CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai.
Trump described the lawsuits as “a very important game-changer for our country” referring to the US. In the suit, he alleges that the social media companies violated the first Amendment by suspending him and other users from the platforms. He is being backed by the America First Policy Institute, an advocacy group founded by former officials in his administration.
Through the lawsuit, Trump is seeking damages on behalf of users who have had their social media accounts on the platforms suspended. The claim also challenges social media’s terms of service agreements.
Read: Trump To Make Social Media Comeback on Own Platform
In a press conference, Trump said the claim was an attempt to stop social media companies from violating US’ speech laws.
“We’re not looking for a settlement. We don’t expect a settlement,” Trump said alluding that the companies could be liable for settlements worth trillions of dollars, which had never been seen before.
Trump’s lawsuits are reportedly based on a number of disregarded legal arguments. A number of attempts to sue social media companies for moderations and suspensions have failed in the past. If anything, the companies are often castigated for not doing enough to moderate discussions and the flow of information on their platforms.
He was suspended from multiple social media platforms after allegedly inciting a group of protesters who stormed Capitol Hill, resulting in the death of five people. This was after he disputed the results of the presidential polls that saw Joe Biden elected.
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