this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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Worth reading the article to understand that a conservative judge and conservative AGs accused the Biden admin of trying to silence conservatives spreading Covid-19 falsehoods on social platforms and framing it like they weren’t just trying to keep people from drinking bleach. Very misleading headline.
Yes, but this could easily go the other way. A far right executive could use its power to pressure these companies to remove what it considers misinformation.
This is clearly a violation of the first amendment as misinformation, disinformation and malinformation are by definition protected forms of speech.
I think I agree with the judge here in that the government should not be pressuring social media to censor legally protected speech. It is no matter if that speech is true or untrue, as long as it is protected speech the government should not have the power to censor speech it does not agree with.
One can easily imagine a right wing executive pressuring social media to remove speech it seams false or malevolent. The things the right view as misinformation, malinformation or disinformation would be expansive I am sure, and would no doubt target women's health, trans liberation or any attempt by the working class to organize. The government should not have this power to censor speech that is covered by the first amendment.