Congress Must Pass Federal GRANITE Act to Stop Foreign Governments from Censoring Americans
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "Stop Foreign Censorship Threats | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." March 26, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
Foreign governments are trying to force American companies to censor content that's legal in the U.S. by threatening fines and shutdowns. Congress should pass a law letting Americans sue these foreign governments to stop this censorship from affecting our free speech rights.
Conclusion
Congress needs to pass a federal version of the GRANITE Act to protect Americans' First Amendment rights from foreign government censorship attempts
Premises
- Foreign governments are increasingly using their laws to restrict, penalize, or compel disclosure of speech that occurs wholly within the United States
- Examples include Britain threatening $25 million fines against U.S.-based 4Chan and Brazil ordering X to censor accounts or face platform shutdowns
- The international nature of the internet means foreign pressure on American tech firms can erode domestic speech rights
- State-level anti-censorship bills like Wyoming's GRANITE Act lack the legal authority, diplomatic weight, and constitutional standing needed to address this threat effectively
- A federal GRANITE Act would allow U.S. persons and companies to sue foreign governments that attempt to impose censorship rules, removing their sovereign immunity in U.S. courts
- The European Commission has directly pressured platforms to censor lawful political speech for the last 10 years through various regulatory forums
- Creating liability and potential damages for compliance with foreign censorship would deter tech companies from taking the path of least resistance
Assumptions
- Foreign censorship enforcement constitutes a genuine threat to American free speech rights
- U.S. tech companies will comply with foreign censorship demands without legal protection
- Federal legislation would be more effective than state-level measures in deterring foreign censorship
- The threat of lawsuits and financial liability would effectively deter both foreign governments and U.S. companies from censorship compliance
- Protecting free speech from foreign interference should be a bipartisan priority