Big Tech, Censorship and the Internet – Garden City News
The debate over censorship of the internet by big tech companies seems to be intensifying. This is a real problem, but there is a danger that some potential cures may be worse than the disease.
The big tech media giants have increasingly been making editorial decisions relating to major political controversies. Given the near monopolistic reach of companies like Twitter and Facebook, critics, particularly on the right, have a legitimate concern that there is a concerted effort to suppress political speech.
There are numerous examples of this, and not just the current ban of former President Trump, who won 74 million votes in the last election, from both Facebook and Twitter. You dont have to believe Mr. Trumps claims that the last election was stolen, or endorse his actions on January 6, to think that it is inappropriate to exclude such an important political figure for extended periods. But it goes well beyond Mr. Trumps exclusion. The tech companies seem increasingly disinclined to permit political posts that runs counter to the prevailing liberal narrative. For example, just before the election a decision was made to squelch a credible report in the New York Post concerning Hunter Bidens laptop and its possible connection to candidate Joe Biden.
And with respect to the Covid virus, almost any speech outside the mainstream has been excluded, or at least subject to contentious fact checks or cautionary messages. For a while even stories suggesting a connection between the virus and the Chinese laboratory in Wuhan were considered disinformation. To be clear, I got the vaccine months ago, and I think most people should get shots. But excluding much of the skepticism about the vaccines, its efficacy and its potential side effects seems a little excessive.
While it isnt a good thing that a few billionaires have an outsized impact on what is permissible speech, it is less than obvious what can be done as a remedy.
One potential solution would be to require that large internet providers treat all speech equally, as is required of the government, which (unlike private companies) is subject to the First Amendment. Alternatively, you could treat the big providers as though they are a public utility which, like the telephone companies of old, were largely required to accept speech from all comers.
While the argument has been made that the big tech sites operate the functional equivalent of the town square, and thus is similar the government, in fact the tech companies have different rights, powers and responsibilities than governmental authorities. In addition, you probably wouldnt want all speech rules applicable to the government also to apply to the tech companies. For example, most people are comfortable with at least some forms of censorship by the tech companies. Facebook, for example, seems well within its rights to prohibit pornographic images which might not be legally obscene. And even if it might be legally protected speech, few of us are concerned that that, say, Twitter, does not allow rants by neo-Nazis or the Klan on its site. Similar arguments would be applicable to the public utility theory since censorship would be largely prohibited.
It has also been suggested that large utilities lose their protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which under most circumstances shields internet company for liability for defamatory posts of third parties. The problem here is that, unlike newspapers and most television shows, it is impossible, or at least very impractical, to prescreen user content.
There is also the idea of an antitrust initiative against the big players, with unknown economic ramifications.
I guess in my perfect world, there would be an understanding by the tech company that suppressing a large chunk of political speech is not in their long term best interest and that they would do well to take a less heavy hand rather than be subjected to the heavy hand of legislation or regulation. Well see if they come to realize that.
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Big Tech, Censorship and the Internet - Garden City News
- Warning Trumps anti-censorship drive is fuelling misinformation crisis in UK - The Independent - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Their school can censor the student press. They are trying to change that. - The Washington Post - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Prominent health workers accuse BBC of 'censorship' for withholding film on Gaza medics - Middle East Eye - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Fear, Censorship and Repression Are Keeping Israelis in the Dark About Gaza - Haaretz - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- X says India ordered it to block 8,000 accounts or face jail for local staff - Business Insider - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Govt Advisory on Removing Content From Pakistan Is Sweeping Censorship, Doesnt Tackle Misinfo - thewire.in - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Trumps anti-censorship drive linked to rise in misinformation in the UK - The Independent - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Trumps anti-censorship drive linked to rise in misinformation in the UK - Yahoo News UK - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- UK Jewish creatives write guidance on antisemitism and censorship in arts - Middle East Eye - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- The Turkish governments grip on journalism is tightening - Index on Censorship - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Digital censorship and political repression: The blocking of the X account of Istanbul's jailed mayor - Global Voices - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Trump Administration Asks for Help in Uncovering Big Tech Censorship - The Daily Signal - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Michael Feinstein on Kennedy Centers Government-Sanctioned Cancelations - Vulture - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Radioheads Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa pan censorship after UK shows canceled - The Times of Israel - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Radiohead star Jonny Greenwood hits out at 'censorship' and 'intimidation' after shows cancelled following 'credible threats' - Sky News - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa criticise censorship and silencing for their cancelled shows - The Jewish Chronicle - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Tsui Hark on Condor Heroes and Navigating Censorship in Modern Cinema: We Can Never Get Out of the System - Variety - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Economic Censorship: The Devastation of the NEA Grants Cut Grows - The Austin Chronicle - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Coco Gauff Hits Out Strongly Against Censorship of Athletes at Rome Open - Athlon Sports - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- VE Day: Irish censorship and the news - The Irish Times - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Micah Beckwith's record is all about distortion, censorship | Letters - IndyStar - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Professor Pete Simi experiences censorship as his book was banned and funding revoked - The Panther Newspaper - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Order to End Federal Support for NPR and PBS Is a Legally Dubious Push to Censor Media Coverage Trump Dislikes - freepress.net - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- FTC criticized for censoring public input in its social media censorship probe - Straight Arrow News - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Is Amazon Censoring 2010s ROBIN HOOD in the United States? - Reluctant Habits - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Censorship Threatens Papers Throughout ACPS and FCPS - thewpwire.org - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Habemus censuram. Ahead of Papal election, Mediazona examined Russian censorship in The Young Pope and The New Pope - Mediazona - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- "Self-censorship is a real and pressing challenge" in the Pacific - ifex.org - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Can Fear Equity Revive Campus Free Speech? - Inside Higher Ed - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- What People Want from Platforms Isnt What Musk and Zuckerberg Are Selling - Tech Policy Press - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- US scholars self-censoring due to fear of being harassed - survey - Times Higher Education - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Radiohead star hits out at 'censorship' and 'intimidation' after shows cancelled - MSN - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Radioheads Jonny Greenwood, Israeli singer Dudu Tassa on cancellation of UK gigs: 'Censorship and silencing' - The Times of Israel - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Mexico president open to modifying telecoms bill after censorship accusations - Reuters - April 27th, 2025 [April 27th, 2025]
- Weekend reads: Retractions as censorship; the carbon footprint when science doesnt self-correct; NEJM vs. the feds - Retraction Watch - April 27th, 2025 [April 27th, 2025]
- Santa Rosa High School theater students, allies honored with national award for fighting censorship - The Press Democrat - April 27th, 2025 [April 27th, 2025]
- China Is Not Censoring Its Social Media to Please the West - What's on Weibo - April 27th, 2025 [April 27th, 2025]
- Free for All documentary highlights libraries cultural legacy amid rising censorship and funding threats - Datebook - April 27th, 2025 [April 27th, 2025]
- Trumps aggressive actions against free speech speak a lot louder than his words defending it - The Conversation - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Bowen Yang Rants About SNL Censors: This Is the Real World - The Daily Beast - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Government censorship comes to Bluesky, but not its third-party apps yet - TechCrunch - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Time to re-read The Masses, the 1910s literary magazine crushed by government censorship. - Literary Hub - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Operation Caged Bird Seeks to Unban Books from Naval Academy: Book Censorship News, April 25, 2025 - Book Riot - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- 12 Moments Of Anime Censorship That Became Bizarrely Hilarious - SlashFilm - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- I faced censorship and attacks at MIT for trying to teach about Palestine. This reflects the rising fascism in higher education. - Mondoweiss - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Opinion | The Naval Academy Canceled My Lecture on Wisdom - The New York Times - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- University suspects big tech Google and Meta censoring ads just because its Catholic - The College Fix - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Netflix Co-CEO Says Theyre Not in China Because Not a Single Episode Cleared the Censorship Board - IndieWire - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Republicans, beware: Censorship by the right is no better than by the left | Opinion - USA Today - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- DITV: YAF Brings in CEO of Babylon Bee to Speak About Censorship - The Daily Iowan - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- There are medieval roots to modern attempts to censor controversial literature - KJZZ - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Barbra Streisand can tell you: Censorship is not the answer - The Frederick News-Post - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Meta Oversight Board Fumes As Facebook Ends Censorship Initiatives - The Daily Wire - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Bluesky Just Bowed to Censorship Demands in Turkey, but Theres a Loophole - Gizmodo - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Censorship is getting louder: Metas fine is just the echo - Pearls and Irritations - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Trump Administration Blasts Biden, Fauci for Outright Censorship on Revamped Covid-19 Website - Yahoo - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Book censorship: Why its not going to stop with the books, no matter how you spin it - DMNews - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Wall Streets silent protest: censorship in the age of Trump - The Irish Times - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Digital Blasphemy: Netflixs Controverial Censorship of Mel Gibsons The Passion for Easter - Bleeding Fool - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Censorship in STEM: A Recap of the Heterodox Academy STEM Community Meeting at USC April 24 - University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Top Ultra-processed Foods Researcher at NIH Resigns, Citing Censorship - Civil Eats - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Trump-style book censorship is spreading just ask British librarians | Alison Hicks - The Guardian - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Why would he take such a risk? How a famous Chinese author befriended his censor - The Guardian - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Grandpas advice for the new wave of American censors - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Trump admin accused of censoring NIHs top expert on ultra-processed foods - Ars Technica - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- 100 mph speeders, 4/20 sales, RI lobbyist expenses, RISD censorship: Top stories this week - The Providence Journal - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- 'Wuthering Waves' Developer Responds to Backlash Over Censorship - The Gooner Rage is Real - VICE - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- State Department shuts down agency that pushed censorship of conservative news sites - Must Read Alaska - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- DrainMore Than FightAuthoritarianism and Censorship - The Fulcrum - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Theyre Coming For Us: Media Censorship in the Age of Palestinian Genocide - Counterpunch - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Censorship or Caution? The ACSA's Gaza Journal Controversy Exposes a Field at War With Itself - Architect Magazine - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Why deregulating online platforms is actually bad for free speech - The Conversation - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- We Took on Book Bans in Our Small Conservative Community and Won - Teen Vogue - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- MAJOR VICTORY Trump Administration Declassifies the Biden Administrations Secret Domestic Surveillance and Censorship Strategy, Following AFLs... - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Banned Books and Censorship: Who Gets to Decide What We Read? - The Teen Magazine - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Nina Jankowiczs censorship bull, onshoring risks are manageable and other commentary - New York Post - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Opinion: If US schools are censored, students will struggle to form their own opinions - The Asheville Citizen Times - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Lonely Island surprised 'Jizz in My Pants' wasn't censored on SNL : 'There's still potentially kids watching' - Entertainment Weekly - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Censoring Santosh and the grim truth of police torture - Hindustan Times - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- The Antitrust Division Hosts a Big-Tech Censorship Forum - Department of Justice (.gov) - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]