The Trump administration’s “Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship” may overhaul social media, with the help of the Federal Communications Commission.
“On Monday, the Department of Commerce, as directed by President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship, filed a petition to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act,” the White House’s official website announced on July 29. The announcement declared that “President Trump will continue to fight back against unfair, un-American, and politically biased censorship of Americans online,” and with actions like this, that appears to be true.
The petition requests that “the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarify that Section 230 does not permit social media companies that alter or editorialize users’ speech to escape civil liability.”
The petition also “requests that the FCC clarify when an online platform curates content in ‘good faith,’ and requests transparency requirements on their moderation practices, similar to requirements imposed on broadband service providers under Title I of the Communications Act.”
Trump initially launched the executive order in late May after he accused Twitter of interfering with the election. Twitter had fact-checked one of his tweets that voiced concern that mail-in ballots could potentially lead to voter fraud.
The text of the executive order explained:
“Section 230(c) was designed to address early court decisions holding that, if an online platform restricted access to some content posted by others, it would thereby become a ‘publisher’ of all the content posted on its site for purposes of torts such as defamation. As the title of section 230(c) makes clear, the provision provides limited liability ‘protection’ to a provider of an interactive computer service (such as an online platform) that engages in ‘“Good Samaritan” blocking’ of harmful content.”
One major line of the executive order observed how “The provision was also intended to further the express vision of the Congress that the internet is a ‘forum for a true diversity of political discourse.’”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact the FCC 1-888-CALL FCC (225-5322) and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
