A Democratic senator exploited the Hamas-Israel war to demand that the Censorship Industrial Complex up its efforts against online speech.
An opportunistic Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) issued a letter on Oct. 17 to X (formerly Twitter), Meta, TikTok and Alphabet calling on them to “stop the spread of false and misleading content related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.” The letter, innocuous at first, focuses on the conflict embroiling Gaza. However, Bennet later revealed the real intent of his Orwellian demands: the return of censorship-obsessed cabals deciding what’s true and false for platform users. Apparently Bennet didn’t mind too much about the First Amendment implications of a sitting U.S. Senator trying to pressure social media companies to take down content.
“According to numerous reports, deceptive content has ricocheted across social media sites since the conflict began, sometimes receiving millions of views,” Bennet claimed in the letter addressed to the social media’s respective CEOs. “In many cases, your platforms’ algorithms have amplified this content, contributing to a dangerous cycle of outrage, engagement, and redistribution.”
Among the examples of “disinformation” cited in the three-page letter included two fringe reports that Ukraine had falsely supplied weapons to Hamas and that Hamas had kidnapped a top Israeli general. For instance, footage of a video game surfaced online with some users falsely alleging that it depicted a rocket. The posts were quickly countered by others with more information — not censorship — that told users the footage was fake.
This is not enough for Bennet. In the letter, the senator implied that Americans need more Big Tech censors, not more information, to help them decide what’s real or not. Bennet mourned that social media companies have backtracked on the censorship of content. “These decisions contribute to a cascade of violence, paranoia, and distrust around the world,” the Colorado senator continued. “Your platforms are helping produce an information ecosystem in which basic facts are increasingly in dispute, while untrustworthy sources are repeatedly designated as authoritative.”
Bennet cited the European Union’s effort to lambast Big Tech companies for not doing enough to silence free speech. “Last week, the European Union sent enforcement letters to your companies and requested information on the actions your platforms have taken to remove illegal content and disinformation,” Bennet continued. “Although certain platforms have initiated some moderation, the mountain of false content clearly demonstrates that your current policies and protocols are inadequate.”
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 so-called “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.
