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Tag: Free Speech

Shrier: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and our government censors
Commentary, National, The Free Press

Shrier: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and our government censors

By Abigail Shrier | Commentary, The Free Press When asked why he robbed banks, legendary fugitive Willie Sutton replied, “That’s where the money is.” Governments coerce social media platforms into censorship for the same simple reason: That’s where the objectionable speech is.  Thanks to a recent Supreme Court case, in America, there’s also little to stop them.  Social media platforms—but not their users—can sue the government to stop the impermissible suppression of speech, according to Murthy v. Missouri, decided in June. The Court held that social media users could not establish a causal link between government pressure and the suppression of their posts because “the platforms had independent incentives to moderate content and often exercised their own judgm...
Elon Musk says Brazilian judge should go to prison in latest attack after X ban upheld in country
Fox Business, National

Elon Musk says Brazilian judge should go to prison in latest attack after X ban upheld in country

By Brie Stimson  | Fox Business Elon Musk didn’t mince words on Monday, writing on his X platform that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes should be arrested.  "De Moraes deserves prison for his crimes," the tech billionaire wrote on X on Sept. 2 after the country’s high court upheld a ban on the social media platform.  The temporary ban was imposed over the weekend after Musk didn’t name a legal representative before a deadline in a case going back months in which the country demanded some accounts be suspended that had been implicated in probes of so-called digital militias accused of spreading misinformation and hate. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
Meta CEO admits Biden-Harris admin pressured company to censor Americans
Fox Business, National

Meta CEO admits Biden-Harris admin pressured company to censor Americans

By Greg Wehner | Fox Business Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in a letter on Monday that his company, Facebook, was pressured by the Biden-Harris administration to censor Americans, particularly regarding COVID-19 content. Zuckerberg made the admission in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, more than a year after providing the committee with thousands of documents as part of its investigation into content moderation on online platforms. Along with documents, the Meta CEO said, the company has provided a dozen employees to be available for transcribed interviews, stressing Meta’s cooperation with the investigation. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport
National, THE HILL

French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport

By Barbra Surk | National Review The founder and CEO of the messaging service Telegram was detained at a Paris airport on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses, French media reported Sunday. Pavel Durov, a dual citizen of France and Russia, was taken into custody at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday evening after landing in France from Azerbaijan, according to broadcasters LCI and TF1. Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office, attached to the French customs department, notified Durov, 39, that he was being placed in police custody, the broadcasters said. Durov’s representatives couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. READ THE FULL STORY AT NATIONAL REVIEW
Ganahl: Free speech is not the enemy of progress
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Ganahl: Free speech is not the enemy of progress

By Heidi Ganahl, Rocky Mountain Voice Commentary On Wednesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 24-084 into law, effectively creating what some might call the state’s own Ministry of Truth. The bill, supposedly aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation and disinformation, establishes a partnership between the state attorney general and the Education Department. It's designed to reduce "factually inaccurate data" and "encourage respectful discourse." Despite the Biden administration’s failure to establish a similar federal agency, those who wish to use government power to control what constitutes fake news and truth seem undeterred. Proponents of the bill, of course, assure us that it’s not about suppressing viewpoints. State Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Democrat, ins...
Date set for Supreme Court hearing on major free speech Big Tech case
denvergazette.com, National

Date set for Supreme Court hearing on major free speech Big Tech case

By Christopher Hutton, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: DENVER GAZETTE The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear arguments on March 18 in Murthy v. Missouri, a major case involving free speech, government agencies, and social media that could have monumental implications for content moderation. The case deals with whether or not federal agencies indirectly encouraged social media platforms such as Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, to take down posts on the basis that they contained false information about COVID-19. The case could set a significant precedent around social media and how much communication is allowed between federal agencies and tech companies before the speech becomes coercive. Louisiana-based U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty i...