Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is suing Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) alleging a campaign ad was suppressed, and an effort is being made to lessen his chances of winning the 2024 election.
What Happened: Running as an Independent in the 2024 presidential election, Kennedy is a key contender challenging Joe Biden and Donald Trump. However, he faces an uphill battle running outside the two major parties.
The lawyer and activist has launched a lawsuit against social media company Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) alleging "election interference," according to a report from The Verge.
The lawsuit claims Meta removed a 30-minute video from Kennedy that was released by the American Values 2024 super PAC (political action committee).
Kennedy and American Values accuse Meta of violating the First Amendment in the lawsuit.
Meta has stated that the video was temporarily removed by accident, saying it was "mistakenly blocked and was quickly restored once the issue was discovered."
The lawsuit said that asking the Meta AI chatbot about the link on May 5 received the answer that the video was "currently restricted" from the chatbot.
Kennedy and American Values also say that Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company are conspiring to suppress the PAC and Kennedy's candidacy in the 2024 election.
Why It's Important: The lawsuit against Meta Platforms will likely be unsuccessful, but comes at a time when politicians have accused social media platforms of censoring them.
Trump has famously lashed out at Meta owned Facebook for bias, and was also removed from several social media platforms related to his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Social media companies are often protected from First Amendment challenges by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which allows internet companies to remove content from their websites.
The role of social media could increase for the 2024 election, and many are worried about the spread of misinformation or artificial intelligence being used in the presidential race.
The lawsuit, though possibly without merit, highlights ongoing challenges that social media platforms face ahead of the election.
Read Next: RFK Jr. Reveals Parasite ‘Ate A Portion’ Of His Brain And Died
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