Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) led a group of lawmakers pressuring Big Tech companies to censor free speech, including from a presidential candidate.
Schiff and seven other Democrat lawmakers signed a letter whining that “most of your companies have cut their trust and safety teams,” i.e., censorship teams. Their letter not only pressed Meta, Google, X, YouTube, Snap, TikTok and Microsoft to censor anything vaguely described as “misinformation and disinformation,” but lamented the fact that former President Donald Trump has been restored on multiple platforms after previous bans. The lawmakers ended the letter by suggesting increased government-Big Tech collusion.
The lawmakers pontificated that, instead of cutting censors, the tech companies should “incorporate their election efforts into their permanent plans and community guidelines.” Schiff and company seemed particularly fixated on allegations of 2020 election fraud, which are protected free speech.
”YouTube made a decision to resume videos that deny the 2020 election, undoing their prior commitment to election integrity,” the lawmakers dramatically complained. “Meta similarly resumed allowing political ads that claim stolen elections. And almost every major social media company reinstated Donald Trump’s account after previously banning him for violating their community standards.”
This appears to constitute a direct request for censorship of a political candidate over First Amendment-protected speech. The lawmakers grandiosely but vaguely claimed, “After witnessing the role that false or misleading content can play in our elections, we know our country cannot afford to have platforms backslide on their promises.”
Indeed, the lawmakers specifically demanded censorship of election-related content full time. “While the impetus of this letter is the 2024 election, political and election-related mis- and disinformation persists even between elections, so we are also urging your companies to commit to taking action on election and political misinformation year-round, not just in the leadup to elections,” the letter stated.
The letter concluded with the Democrats’ questions for information on Big Tech censorship policies, the “effectiveness” of such policies, and whether “political actors” receive special treatment after sharing “disinformation.”
The final question specifically suggested coordination between government and social media. “Will your company commit to keeping these election integrity plans in place indefinitely and keeping Congress fully informed about potential changes?” the lawmakers asked.
In addition to Schiff, the other signers were Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and André D. Carson (D-IN). This isn’t Schiff’s first pro-censorship move. After the 2016 election, Schiff’s office infamously pressured Twitter to ban journalist Paul Sperry, according to the Twitter Files.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives 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 using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
