Now That We Know the Federal Government Is Calling the Shots on Social Media Censorship, Conservativ

[Kamaji]

Now That We Know the Federal Government Is Calling the Shots on Social Media Censorship, Conservatives Need to Wake Up

By streiff
Aug 27, 2022

For some years now, many on the right have studiously avoided looking at what was going on with social media. As social media companies ratcheted down the ability of anyone to oppose the conventional, and invariably leftist, wisdom, all we heard was “muh private company.” The idea is that if a private monopoly prevents speech on any subject, that’s fine because they are a private company and conservative, you know, worship at the altar of private property and free enterprise. The solution has always been something along the lines of “if you don’t like how they operate, start your own social media platform.” You’d think that by now, given the difficulties faced by Parler, TruthSocial, and other would-be competitors, the folly of that flippant statement would be evident.

It was apparent at an early stage that social media was using its power to interfere in political campaigns. Federal election law requires broadcast outlets to offer candidates for federal office their best price for ads, and they are forbidden to censor candidate ads. So when a very attractive conservative candidate of Cambodian heritage ran a political ad showing a few frames of the horror of the Communist Khmer Rouge killing fields, Facebook banned her ad (Facebook Blocks Republican Candidate Ad for Daring to Show Horrors of Communism, Republican Candidate’s Ad Again Banned From Social Media and We’re Supposed to Think It Is an Accident). By the same token, in 2018, Facebook approved an ad by the North Dakota Democrat Party on behalf of then-Senator Heidi Heitkamp that warned hunters that they would lose their deer license if they voted (Facebook Verifies Bogus Ad Designed to Suppress GOP Turnout in North Dakota). If you aren’t a liberal Democrat, this kind of hijinks is called a felony. In 2019, Twitter temporarily banned Senator Mitch McConnell because his campaign account showed left-wing protesters wishing death on him and his wife (Twitter Shuts Down Mitch McConnell’s Campaign Account Because They Didn’t Like Him Making the Left Look Bad).

During the COVID panic, all social media platforms fell in lockstep behind the constantly changing and usually bogus information disseminated by Anthony Fauci and his posse. Any disagreement or questioning of governmental actions brought down immediate retaliation.

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In the past couple of weeks, additional information has come to light that indicates the social media conglomerates are not acting as free agents but are acting as agents of the federal government. This is a significant development.

In the late-fifties, a Rhode Island state commission on obscenity would tell a major book distributor serving the state which books they had found to be “obscene, indecent or impure language, or manifestly tending to the corruption of the youth.” Based on that communication, the book distributor would block the books from being sold in Rhode Island. The US Supreme Court ruled that even though it was a private company, not the government, preventing the distribution of the books, the government was using the company as a government agent. The purpose of this was to allow the government to do by “advising” the company rather than a process open to court challenge and therefore violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

Last year one of my favorite authors, Alex Berenson, was banned from Twitter because he publicized opinions and scientific papers against the COVID hysteria. He had the resources to pursue a legal case against Twitter and was reinstated after most of the controversy over COVID had abated. As part of the legal process, Berenson received in discovery emails from Biden’s White House to Twitter directing that Berenson be banned because of the problems he was causing them, see Journalist Alex Berenson Busts Biden Team, Says WH Demanded that Twitter Ban Him. The fact that Berenson had operated before the email and was banned after the mail seems to indicate that Twitter acted at the behest of the Biden White House to silence an influential critic.

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Source:  https://redstate.com/streiff/2022/08/27/now-that-we-know-the-federal-government-is-calling-the-shots-on-social-media-censoring-conservatives-need-to-wake-up-n618798

[mountaineer]

The US Supreme Court ruled that even though it was a private company, not the government, preventing the distribution of the books, the government was using the company as a government agent. The purpose of this was to allow the government to do by “advising” the company rather than a process open to court challenge and therefore violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

When it comes to Fakebook and Tw*tter, those private entities have accepted and followed explicit direction - not just advice - from the government. They do the government's bidding. 

[Kamaji]

When it comes to Fakebook and Tw*tter, those private entities have accepted and followed explicit direction - not just advice - from the government. They do the government's bidding. 

Which makes them agents of the government, and therefore subject to the same constitutional limitations that are imposed on the government.

[mountaineer]

Which makes them agents of the government, and therefore subject to the same constitutional limitations that are imposed on the government.

[Kamaji]

If only the GOP didn't encapsulate the zeitgeist of this fellow:

[mountaineer]

Indeed. We need more Poirot, less Clouseau.

[Kamaji]

Indeed. We need more Poirot, less Clouseau.

[Free Vulcan]

Sue the crap out of them, bleed them for damages.