To lobby, or not to lobby? That’s no longer a question for pro-censorship Twitter. A group of tech companies, including Twitter, are looking to push their policy objectives. Pro-censorship Twitter and Vimeo are among five companies forming the “Open Internet Alliance” to advocate for specific legislation and regulation of the internet.
The Open Internet Alliance (OIA) describes itself as “an informal group of companies that advocates for fair and progressive regulation in Europe and globally.” These companies are Twitter, Vimeo, Automattic, Jodel and Seznam.cz. While the OIA tries to frame itself as taking on the “largest and most powerful companies,” Twitter and Vimeo certainly do not lack in size or influence. Search Engine Journal put Twitter in the top 10 social media sites and platforms for 2021, and Vimeo describes itself as the “world’s leading video software solution,” with 260 million users.
Not only that, but Twitter has a consistent history of biased censorship, having removed former President Donald Trump from the platform. Vimeo has also engaged in biased censorship, removing a traditional Christian church and censoring a documentary from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Twitter Public Policy announced creation of the OIA in a March 22 tweet, saying, “The internet is #MoreThanFour companies.” The Open Internet Alliance’s website states that, with the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, “The Open Internet is at a crossroads in Europe,” and “the EU has an opportunity to create laws that make the internet a safer and healthier place and a more competitive environment for companies of all sizes.”
The website adds, “We’re concerned that these laws are shaping up to make the largest and most powerful companies even larger and more powerful.” Yet Twitter was a Big Tech player involved with stealing the 2020 U.S. election. The platform specifically disabled links to a bombshell New York Post report that detailed emails from then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden for alleged corrupt dealings of the family in Ukraine.
This is not the first time a Big Tech insider has tried to take on the outsider role in an attempt to push for more censorship online. So-called Facebook “whistleblower” Frances Haugen turned out to be a leftist activist who openly advocated for increased censorship. One of the measures supported by OIA, “Net Neutrality,” has also been considered a controversial and freedom-encroaching measure in the past.
Will an “open internet” be one where individuals with many different viewpoints have freedom of speech? With Twitter and Vimeo involved, who can be sure? European legislation has tended to be more restrictive of free speech for years.
The Internet Association lobbying group for Big Tech disbanded in December, following a year of around $55 million spent by Big Tech companies on lobbying.
Perhaps the OIA is filling a lobbying void, advocating for legislation favorable to tech companies under the guise of making the internet more “open”?
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and senators and demand they hold Big Tech to account to mirror the First Amendment, provide clarity on hate speech and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
