Former President Donald Trump filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against Twitter, Facebook, Google, and the chief executives that run those companies for targeted attacks on his social media accounts that ultimately led to them blocking and banning him from their platforms.
The class-action status means Trump represents others who have been silenced by Big Tech.
“We will achieve a historic victory for American freedom and at the same time, freedom of speech,” Trump said at a news conference. “We are demanding an end to the shadow-banning, a stop to the silencing, and a stop to the blacklisting, banishing, and canceling that you know so well.”
Trump lost his social media accounts following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Big Tech blamed the former president for inciting the violence by making repeated claims that the election was stolen.
According to Twitter, Trump was banned for the “glorification of violence.” The ban took effect on January 8.
“There is no better evidence that big tech is out of control than the fact that they banned the sitting president of the United States earlier this year,” Trump added. “If they can do it to me they can do it to anyone.”
Trump filed the lawsuits in a federal court in Florida, where last week a federal judge blocked a recently enacted state law that was meant to authorize the state to penalize social media companies when they ban political candidates.
