Friend, things are getting serious in the fight against hate and disinformation:

Late last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld a controversial and possibly unconstitutional Texas social-media law that bans companies from removing posts based on a person’s political ideology. The decision overturned a lower court ruling to block the law — and opens the door for the Supreme Court to weigh in.

What does it mean? Social-media platforms like Facebook and Twitter could be forced to keep certain content up on their platforms or face penalties from states like Texas. This kind of government regulation of private speech could mean more false, hateful and even violent content stays on platforms because companies might not want to risk penalties from the government. This is a worrying development for free speech and user safety, mere weeks before a critical midterm election.

Everything in our fight against hate and disinformation is on the line, which is why a generous donor is matching ALL sustaining donations dollar for dollar through the end of the month. Can we count on you to start a monthly donation to Free Press Action to fuel our fight against disinformation for the long haul?

Your doubled monthly donation means TWICE the support for Free Press Action’s work at a critical time as we:

• Urge tech companies to #FixTheFeed and stop amplifying hate and disinformation in the runup to the midterm elections.
• Urge Congress to reject any policy that undermines the fight against online hate and disinformation, and work to rein in abusive practices by social-media companies.
• Push Congress to pass proactive legislation that would protect user privacy and our data — stemming the onslaught of online discrimination and disinformation campaigns targeted at people of color and other impacted communities.
• Fight to protect and expand local journalism that provides communities with accurate reporting on local elections, schools, public health and other crucial matters.

Look, the problem is not just about the blatant lies you see on Facebook or YouTube.

It’s far more serious: Disinformation and online hate make it harder for people to engage in our democratic process. They disenfranchise voters, make it harder to achieve progress against the pandemic, entrench racist inequities and deeply divide our communities. Disinformation is a threat to our basic rights, significantly hinders our ability to connect with each other on crucial issues, and puts our health and lives at risk.

Now more than ever, we need you with us. Please start a monthly donation to Free Press Action to fund the fight against disinformation and hate. Your gift will have double the impact!

Thanks for all that you do,

Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net

P.S. Remember — your monthly donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $10,000, but only through Sept. 30. Donate now to double your impact and help us fight with everything we’ve got between now and the midterms in November to ensure that social-media companies are held accountable, Congress protects user safety, and voters have access to accurate news and information. Thank you so much for your support!