A federal judge barred the Biden administration and top government officials from speaking with social media companies about a broad host of topics on Tuesday, issuing a preliminary injunction that could severely limit efforts to combat disinformation online.
The decision stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, who have accused the Biden administration of overstepping when working with social media giants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials have worked closely with tech companies in recent years to address vaccine misinformation and hesitancy on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as issues surrounding election interference, terrorism and child sexual abuse.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty, barred many government agencies from talking with such companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion,…
