Politics

GOP Rep. Louis Gohmert introduces measure to strip liability protection from tech giants that hide, filter content

On Thursday, Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Tex., introduced H.R. 7363, a measure that if passed into law, would strip Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook and Twitter of their liability protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act if they hide or filter content.

“Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google are now among the largest and most powerful companies in the world. More and more people are turning to a social media platform for news than ever before, arguably making these companies more powerful than traditional media outlets. Yet, social media companies enjoy special legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, protections not shared by other media. Instead of acting like the neutral platforms they claim to be in order obtain their immunity, these companies have turned Section 230 into a license to potentially defraud and defame with impunity,” he said in a statement posted on his official web site.

“Representatives of social media companies have testified in Congressional hearings that they do not discriminate against or filter out conservative voices on their platforms. But for all their reassurances, the disturbing trend continues unabated. Employees from some of these companies have communicated their disgust for conservatives and discussed ways to use social media platforms and algorithms to silence and prevent income to conservatives,” he added.

“In one hearing, one of the internet social media executives indicated a desire to be treated like Fox News. Fox News does not have their immunity and this bill will fulfill that unwitting request. Since there still appears to be no sincere effort to stop this disconcerting behavior, it is time for social media companies to be liable for any biased and unethical impropriety of their employees as any other media company. If these companies want to continue to act like a biased medium and publish their own agendas to the detriment of others, they need to be held accountable.”

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As we and others have reported, tech giants like Facebook have repeatedly suppressed or banned conservative content while leftists are allowed to do or say whatever they want.  Shortly before the 2018 midterm elections, Facebook unceremoniously wiped out over 800 pages and accounts, many of them conservative and political in nature.

Democrats like Jerrold Nadler, Google’s bought-and-paid-for representative from New York, have made it clear they have no problem with the censorship of conservative content.

Coming so late in the session as it does, it’s not clear if the bill will ever pass a House controlled by Democrats.  Still, it’s a good start even though it’s something that should have been done two years ago.

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Joe Newby

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Joe ran for a city council position in Riverside, Calif., in 1991 and managed successful campaigns for the Idaho state legislature. Co-author of "Banned: How Facebook enables militant Islamic jihad," Joe wrote for Examiner.com from 2010 until it closed in 2016 and his work has been published at Newsbusters, Spokane Faith and Values and other sites. He now runs the Conservative Firing Line.

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