VT professor: Trump’s executive order may lack enough ‘teeth’ to be enforced

Order aimed at trying to hold social media networks more accountable for their content

BLACKSBURG, Va. – President Trump’s executive order challenging the limits of social media may not have much impact.

That’s according to Virginia Tech multimedia communications professor Dr. Mike Horning.

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order asking federal agencies to explore ways to hold social media more accountable for perceived biases on social networks.

Horning said dealing with concerns about social media is very complex.

“I’ve read through the executive order and my first impressions are that it really doesn’t have enough teeth in it to probably be enforceable,” Horning said. “It involves issues of the communications decency act, it involves the first amendment, involves the right for businesses to make choices and all of those things really aren’t addressed in the executive order."

Trump argues the executive order will uphold freedom of speech.