Democrats enjoyed a largely compliant Big Tech cartel that was eager to censor conservatives. Now that might change, at least on Twitter, they’re reacting with the grace and dignity that tinpot fascists are always known for.
Some key Senate Democrats are considering calling Elon Musk to testify on his plans to remake Twitter, amid broader calls in Congress for new regulations for tech and social media companies.
There are no imminent plans for hearings, but, “We’re thinking about it,” Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell said in an interview Thursday.
This is what’s known as intimidation. Or more relevantly, government coercion. To cite Justice Thomas, government coercion of a company can bring the First Amendment into play.
None of this analysis means, however, that the First Amendment is irrelevant until a legislature imposes common carrier or public accommodation restrictions—only that the principal means for regulating digital platforms is through those methods. Some speech doctrines might still apply in limited circumstances, as this Court has recognized in the past. For example, although a “private entity is not ordinarily constrained by the First Amendment,” Halleck, 587 U. S., at ___, ___ (slip op., at 6, 9), it is if the government coerces or induces it to take action the government itself would not be permitted to do, such as censor expression of a lawful viewpoint. Ibid. Consider government threats. “People do not lightly disregard public officers’ thinly veiled threats to institute criminal proceedings against them if they do not come around.” Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan, 372 U. S. 58, 68 (1963). The government cannot accomplish through threats of adverse government action what the Constitution prohibits it from doing directly. See ibid.; Blum v. Yaretsky, 457 U. S. 991, 1004–1005 (1982). Under this doctrine, plaintiffs might have colorable claims against a digital platform if it took adverse action against them in response to government threats.
But back to Senate Dems throwing around threats of government coercion in response to the urgent threat of free speech.
Senator Ed Markey, a member of the Commerce Committee who has called for new laws regulating large tech companies, said that a hearing with Musk was necessary given Twitter’s importance.
“It’s a technology which is central to democracy and our economy and it is important for the representatives of the American people to hear what the new owners intend on using that technology to accomplish,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview. “We have to understand the censorship or lack thereof, content moderation or not, that is going to be the policy for the new owner.”
Ed is a bit old and so despite the claims to having invented the internet, he slipped and said the “C” word. It’s understandable because censorship is what these folks want.
Tom Peden says
the fact remains, we need every idea, every counter argument, every opinion, and every voice in order to come to a sensible and reasonable understanding of a problem, challenge or event.
We need critical thinking. Y
You cannot come to intellectual understanding when only one side dominates the discussion.
Pierre Delecto says
It’s Sunday morning. I just heard DHS head Majorcas demonstrate the rationale for restoring the institution of dueling.
Pierre Delecto says
Erdogan
mortimer says
The Dems did not complain when Twitter was censoring Republicans and libertarians who found evidence against what the Dems insisted was true, namely, RUSSIA-RUSSIA-RUSSIA, Hunter’s laptop from hell, Wuhan lab origin of the virus.
The Dems want to implement full censorship of political opposition. This is pure fascism.
The Dems are the new Nazis, but this time, they are GLOBALIST Nazis working for an international group of BILLIONAIRE OLIGARCHS … Soros, Charlie Manger and others profiting from China’s slave labor.
The Deep State has yet to be fully exposed, but Soros is definitely a ring leader.
Billionaire Charlie Munger is a crony of Warren Buffet and has openly called for a system like that of communist China in which the individual has no human rights, no civil liberties and no freedom of expression.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-11-06/charlie-munger-ucsb-dorm-readers-letters
mortimer says
The THREAT OF FREE SPEECH to the Dems is obvious: with full free speech (as the US constitution protects) there will be a series of Republican presidents, because the Dems are now globalist authoritarians and the American people don’t want that.
somehistory says
What if Mr. Musk said he’s going to dissolve the thing? what if twitter ceased to exist?
What if the entire party of the dims…and I mean dims…was to suddenly become an honest bunch and gave up all corruption practices, and began to tell the truth and to act as the reps they were hired to be?
Mr. Musk is not a government employee and twitter is not an arm of the government…although the dims would like it to be.
The Bible says, “They are all alike corrupt; there is no one doing good.” That verse certainly fits these guys such as markey, and schiffy, cantwell, and pelosi….
Wellington says
The old Democratic Party is dead and never coming back. It has been replaced with the new Democratic Party which is an enemy of America. I’m certain that if the proposed Ministry of Truth (I prefer this Orwellian description respecting what the bogus Biden Administration plans to establish) prevails, what I have just written will almost certainly be characterized as misinformation. But it is not.
The bitter irony in all of this is that it is the new Democratic Party that puts forth misinformation regularly, such as the many lies about voter suppression, of course the multi-year lie that was the Russian collusion hoax per the phony Steele dossier (paid for, I might add, by the Democratic Party) and characterizing being against young children taught about sexual matters as censorship when it is in fact indoctrination and child abuse. This is what the new Democratic Party has come to.
Pathetic. Disturbing. Chilling. Ominous.
somehistory says
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tulsi-gabbard-suggests-obama-behind-ministry-of-truth-says-biden-just-front-man/ar-AAWNQHk?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=
Gabbard is a democrat.
“Tulsi Gabbard suggests Obama behind ‘Ministry of Truth,’ says Biden just ‘front man'”
Sen. Tom Cotton says he has a bill to defund it. Everyone should read the rest of what “bo” said about censorship. and he is “behind” it…pushing the envelope. bo said when he was pretending to be president that there were things he couldn’t legally do, and then did them. And, he still is.
“”But while content moderation can limit the distribution of clearly dangerous content, it doesn’t go far enough,”
Wellington says
Agreed, somehistory. This is why I have often referred to the present presidential administration as Obama’s third term.
America has never had a dummy, a puppet, a front man, as President. We do now.
somehistory says
And, Wellington, it is becoming more obvious by the day.
bo wanted a third term…probably lusts and salivates for a fourth, fifth…lifetime like abbas of the PA. and often spoke of it, asking if people would vote for him again. He’s the criminal behind the curtain and the curtain is becoming so transparent. He spoke about “transparency” too.
E T says
The transparent one also keeps pushing the vaccines, even after the latest VAERS numbers, as of April 22, 2022 – – Historically VAERS has reported at 1%.
Adverse reactions 1,247,131
Deaths 27,532
Serious injuries 224,766 -Guillian Barre Syndrome, convulsions, stroke, myocarditis, pericarditis, Autoimmune diseases, miscarriages, Kawasaki disease, acute myocardial infarction thrombocytopenia, multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children………………….
somehistory says
And the FDA has approved a blood-thinner for kids as young as six months due to clots from the shots.
Imagine, a little baby put on blood thinners. Usually a person never gets off those and it is not uncommon for one to bleed to death from a minor injury.
The shots were never safe, and they aren’t really effective .the numbers growing now of people getting the virus after all the boosters. Lies and more lies.
James Lincoln says
E T,
To your point, the Covid “vaccines” (really frontloaded therapeutics) should only be given to:
People with significant Covid risk factors where the risk of a severe life-threatening case of Covid outweighs the risk of a serious side effect from the vaccine.
https://vaersanalysis.info/2022/04/29/vaers-summary-for-covid-19-vaccines-through-4-22-2022/
Westman says
“..Senate Democrats are considering calling Elon Musk to testify on his plans to remake Twitter…”
The Hearing:
Chairman: “Mr. Musk, how do we know you won’t interfere with our use of Twitter to ensure re-election?”
Musk: “As this chart shows, we have removed all political bias and shadow banning from the control algorithms and are currently distributing copies of the old algorithms, with the original programmer comments, to the news media as we speak.
Are you demanding that we place them all back into effect or should we allow real free speech? The current control algorithms are open source for anyone’s inspection. You can read them yourself. Any other questions?
tim gallagher says
Yes, with the left wing fascists, who consider that their views are so fucking virtuous, you are only allowed to view the world in the way that they do. If you don’t then you are a horrible person. Then again, i have to admit that they sicken me so much that I’d probably shut their drivel down (especially their defence of islam, their transgender shit, their anti-white racism, etc) if I had the power to do so. I believe in freedom of speech but maybe not enough and I just get so fed up with the leftist drivel and the nonsense they consider to be true.
Ade Fegan says
Free speech and microchip implants … as a bundle ? … I’ll pass on that thanks all the same
E T says
Neuralink has been in the works since 2016, I’m with you Ade.
gravenimage says
Senate Democrats Want Hearings On the Threat That There Might Be Free Speech on Twitter
……………
Good grief. Elon Musk has already said that he would allow speech allowed under US law–so what would these hearings be about?
Note that Twitter had *previously* violated this, by allowing such things as death threats against the ‘politically incorrect’. No hearings then…
OLD GUY says
Democrats it’s not might be free speech it should be free speech. Kind of like what happened to TRUTH in ADVERTISING it’s easier to sell crap when you can stretch the truth with no repercussions.