Opinion: After Capitol insurrection and fallout, it is time for new laws for social media

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has led to the biggest reckoning in the history of the internet, and will likely be a tipping point for new regulation of American social-media companies.

The unprecedented suspension of President Trump from platforms owned by some of the biggest companies in technology — including Alphabet Inc.’s
GOOG,
-0.23%
GOOGL,
-0.19%
YouTube, Twitter Inc.
TWTR,
-1.33%
and Facebook Inc.
FB,
+2.33%
— has fueled new calls for laws to hold social media companies accountable for what they publish and what they won’t publish.