Political commentator Steven Crowder will sue Facebook for allegedly treating conservative content unfairly, he announced on his website Monday.
Crowder alleged that Facebook has a “double standard” when applying its rules and treats conservative content unfairly. The lawsuit, which will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks “injunctive relief” to “stop unfair/deceptive acts” and “seven-figure monetary damages,” according to Crowder’s website.
“Our broader point is that we are pro-business but anti-fraud,” the website reads. “Facebook lured consumers and creators to spend money and provide data and views under the promise of not engaging in political, racial or religious bias in enforcing their policies, but they have done so both expressly and secretively, and hence, the suit.”
For immediate release => Louder with Crowder is Suing Facebook https://t.co/QtdZDDb6z6
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) February 1, 2021
“I would say that based on the claims I have seen described, [the lawsuit] should have merit,” said Ron Coleman, an attorney with the Dhillon Law Group. “Judges have to stop genuflecting before the altar of Section 230, which is not a bar to these kinds of claims – especially regarding unfair and deceptive trade practices and anticompetitive conduct.”
Facebook has been accused of unfair censorship in the past, particularly after the Big Tech company banned former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building. Facebook also decided to ban advertisements for “accessories such as gun safes, vests and gun holsters in the US” in the days leading up to the inauguration, limit political posts, and remove all content related to “stop the steal.”
Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga reportedly considered sanctions against Big Tech companies, including Facebook, over what he said were “systematic abuses” of free speech. (RELATED: REPORT: Oversight Board For Facebook Reverses Censorship After Allegedly Labeling Content ‘Hate Speech’ And ‘Misinformation’)
“There is a double standard here,” Crowder’s website says. “What are the actual standards by which Facebook says we, its users, govern ourselves? Facebook needs to disclose what they’re doing as a business, especially as they solicit money for advertising.”
“We need Facebook to stop throttling pages and content and to stop favoring certain outlets over others. In a word, stop acting like a publisher or just admit that they are one. We’re prepared to take the lawsuit as far as we need to, including to the United States Supreme Court.”