Washington DC: The US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order focussing on making social media companies accountable for censoring free speech based on the biases of the social media platforms.
The White House Executive Order states that powerful social media companies censor opinions with which they disagree, they exercise a dangerous power. They cease functioning as passive bulletin boards, and ought to be viewed and treated as content creators.
It further stated, that he growth of online platforms in recent years raises important questions about applying the ideals of the First Amendment to modern communications technology. Today, many Americans follow the news, stay in touch with friends and family, and share their views on current events through social media and other online platforms. As a result, these platforms function in many ways as a 21st century equivalent of the public square.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube wield immense, if not unprecedented, power to shape the interpretation of public events; to censor, delete, or disappear information; and to control what people see or do not see.
Speaking to media at the Oval Office, Trump said, “The move was to defend free speech from one of the gravest dangers it has faced in American history.
A small handful of social media monopolies controls a vast portion of all public and private communications in the United States. They’ve had unchecked power to censor, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter, virtually any form of communication between private citizens and large public audiences.”
Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship _ The White House (1)
