Big Tech organizations in Silicon Valley have long plagued the political atmosphere, using protections allotted to them in section 230 of the communications decency act to censor speech online.
At long last, the suppression may come to a stop thanks to legislation Senator Marco Rubio will introduce.
“The Daily Caller first obtained the legislation, titled the Disincentivizing Internet Service Censorship of Online Users and Restrictions on Speech and Expression (DISCOURSE) Act. The bill would remove Section 230 protections for tech companies that use algorithmic amplification, engage in content moderation, or create and or develop information content.” The Daily Caller reported
“Section 230 delineates internet content hosts and providers, like social media sites and search engines, from internet content producers, like their users. It ensures that the hosts are not held legally responsible for the posts of their users, and allows the hosts to “voluntarily take [actions] in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider … considers to be … objectionable.”
It’s no doubt that most political discourse that happens in this country happens online, rather than in person or in traditional “town squares.” Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Tik Tok have become the new town squares. People come to these sites to express their ideas and engage in controversial conversations. The power that these tech tyrants posses is enough to drown out whatever political ideas they wish.
“It is absurd that these massive companies receive special protections through Federal law, even as they tear our country apart. No more free passes, it is time to hold Big Tech accountable for their actions.” Rubio claimed.
He also said “Big Tech has destroyed countless Americans’ reputations, openly interfered in our elections by banning news stories, and baselessly censored important topics like the origins of the coronavirus,”
Facebook openly suppressed content that claimed COVID-19 was developed in a lab, after the theory became popularized they were forced to reverse the decision, quietly.
Other Republicans have been working on holding Big Tech accountable for their censorship. More than others, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has been passing legislation in his state that allows fir citizens and political candidates to sue companies that participate in suppression of speech.