Center for Democracy and Technology files lawsuit against Trump’s executive order on social media

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on social media, arguing it violates the First Amendment.

The consumer advocacy group backed by large American technology companies said the executive order is “plainly retaliatory” for attacking Twitter Inc .

Last week, President Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has protected internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook , in an attempt to regulate social media platforms where he has been criticized.

The proposed legislation was part of an executive order Trump signed on Thursday afternoon.

(Reporting by Alison Frankel in New York and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)