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Conservatives are rallying against what they call collusion between Big Tech and the federal government, fearing the two powerful entities will censor them under the guise of preventing domestic terrorism.

Large tech platforms from Facebook and YouTube to Spotify and GoFundMe have ratcheted up bans and censorship of users and organizations.

The companies, once viewed as neutral platforms and marketplaces, are increasingly behaving as left-wing activist organizations because of cancel culture, conservatives say.

There seems to be a pretty universal cultural collusion among a bunch of these companies that they dont want dissenting voices to use their products," said Inez Feltscher Stepman, a senior policy analyst at the conservative Independent Womens Forum, on her podcast earlier this month.

At the same time, the federal governments counterterrorism apparatus under President Joe Biden has taken multiple actions recently aimed at curbing speech deemed as extremism and misinformation.

Conservatives challenge the government's definition of misinformation and say new Biden policies will target them.

For example, the Justice Department announced in January the creation of a new domestic terrorism unit that will investigate those who ascribe to extremist anti-government and anti-authority ideologies.

House Republicans also say an FBI whistleblower email shows the agency is using "counterterrorism tools" to monitor violent threats against school employees and teachers in relation to parents protesting local school board decisions.

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Conservatives are perhaps most concerned about a February bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security saying the federal government plans to work with public and private sector partners to reduce the "proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions."

Republicans say that, depending on how the government defines "false or misleading narratives," those who are against mask and vaccine mandates or raise questions about the origins of the coronavirus could be classified as terrorists.

For the government to characterize mainstream political disagreements as something approaching criminality is frightening and sends shivers down my spine, said Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina. Thats what happens in totalitarian regimes. Normal Americans engaging in normal activity and speech shouldnt be conflated with terrorism. Thats very dangerous for the government to be doing."

He added that the federal government and its agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can and should put out their point of view on problems in society. They can even criticize certain information online as being incorrect, Bishop said, but its not the government's role to criminalize or deter certain speech on private platforms.

At the end of January, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy urged tech platforms to censor comedian Joe Rogan and use the power that we have to limit the spread of misinformation."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in early February she supported Murthys advice regarding content moderation.

Conservatives say the federal government has threatened to crack down on right-leaning speech for years.

The desire to criminalize certain speech has been brewing for a very long time, and now the Biden bureaucracy is free to make moves that they couldnt under Trump, said Kara Frederick, a tech research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Some high-level bureaucrats want to use counterterrorism tools to suppress mainstream conservative views expressed, and the Jan. 6 attack has given them the perfect excuse to use these new tools."

She added she had met with 21 Republicans in Congress in the past three months, including members in leadership, and they were all concerned about tech companies and the federal governments efforts to reduce misinformation.

GOP Rep. Bishop said he expects Republicans to take back control of the House of Representatives after the midterm elections and will then investigate the federal government's recent actions related to misinformation and domestic terrorism.

"The Republican leadership has a very robust oversight effort planned, with all investigative tools at our disposal to be used," Bishop said. "We will examine the administration and the tech companies very closely, and if that fuels successful litigation, so much the better."

Until 2023, Bishop said, Republicans can only use their platform to express concerns and hold the Biden administration accountable.

Conservatives say Democrats would be equally concerned if a Republican administration were in charge of defining illegal misinformation.

How would the Left feel if it was Trump and his people deciding what is misinformation and we're locking up people based on that? said Dan Gainor, vice president at the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog that tracks censorship on Big Tech platforms.

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Everybody has to stand their ground and not give in to cancel culture and these misinformation policies. Theyll never be satisfied. You cant placate a pack of hungry lions and ever make them happy. Youve got to fight it, Gainor said.

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Conservatives warn of Big Tech-federal government 'collusion' on censorship - Washington Examiner