Trump addresses social media censorship of conservatives: ‘Let everybody participate, good and bad’
On Saturday President Trump directly addressed social media censorship of conservative voices online, telling tech companies like Facebook and Twitter to “let everybody participate, good & bad,” The Hill reported.
“Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices. Speaking loudly and clearly for the Trump Administration, we won’t let that happen. They are closing down the opinions of many people on the RIGHT, while at the same time doing nothing to others,” he said on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030777074959757313
He directly addressed the censorship taking place on the platforms:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
…..Censorship is a very dangerous thing & absolutely impossible to police. If you are weeding out Fake News, there is nothing so Fake as CNN & MSNBC, & yet I do not ask that their sick behavior be removed. I get used to it and watch with a grain of salt, or don’t watch at all..
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030779412973846529
In a third tweet, he concluded: “Too many voices are being destroyed, some good & some bad, and that cannot be allowed to happen. Who is making the choices, because I can already tell you that too many mistakes are being made. Let everybody participate, good & bad, and we will all just have to figure it out!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1030781399920455681
As we reported earlier, Facebook, the social media outlet dubbed the “world’s most dangerous censor,” banned a number of videos, including one on censorship and another on baseball, claiming they were “hate speech.” The company relented and restored the videos, claiming it was a mistake.
Perhaps it was a “mistake,” but it certainly was no accident. It was just the latest incident in an ongoing effort to silence anyone to the right of center.
The Hill added:
Trump, who is a prolific Twitter user, previously warned that his administration would “look into” alleged “shadow banning” of conservatives on the platform.
Twitter has acknowledged that a new policy to suppress hate speech unintentionally reduced the search results for some Republican lawmakers. The company said it also impacted some Democrats.
Facebook has also defended itself against claims of what GOP leadership calls “conservative censorship” and contended with the proliferation of “fake news” — stories written to look like reported stories, including by Russians intending to influence U.S. politics — on the platform.
The company launched a review of policies possibly impacting conservative voices and other communities in May.
Will left-wing social media companies take note? Based on what we’ve seen in the past, it’s highly unlikely. It’s more likely these sites will double- and triple-down on the censorship.
Perhaps they need to learn that Nineteen-Eighty Four was intended as a warning, not an instruction manual.
Exit question: Will Trump’s focus on the problem of social media censorship prompt Republicans to take action?
Related:
- Facebook apologizes after censoring videos on free speech, baseball
- Facebook: Criticizing accused New Mexico terrorist is deemed hate speech, earns ban for Brigitte Gabriel
- Facebook reportedly threatens Australian media execs: Work with us or die
- Opinion: Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook, Google now a direct threat to U.S. freedom, democracy
- Video of the Day: Mike Adams calls for arrest, criminal prosecution of executives running tech giants
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