On Independence Day, a federal judge declared a landslide victory for free speech and a crushing defeat for government censorship. The court provisional injunction It prevents the federal government from colluding with social media giants and blocks what the courts described as a “massive assault on free speech” by the Biden administration.
When I was Attorney General of Missouri, I introduced this pivotal bill. lawsuitIn the Missouri v. Biden case, numerous federal agencies and President Biden officials colluded with social media companies to extort American speech under the guise of combating what they perceive as “misinformation” or “disinformation.” Claims to be censored. Simply put, there should never be censorship of Americans’ free speech, including in virtual city squares. (Related: Federal Judge Blocks Biden Administration’s Censorship Efforts Indicate First Amendment Moves Forward)
Government officials should never censor speech, and should never be allowed to outsource censorship. The lawsuit is one of the most significant free speech lawsuits of a generation.
During our discovery phase, we uncovered several emails that showed direct collusion between senior Biden administration officials and social media giants to censor speech on the origins of COVID-19 and other topics. . After a meeting between former Deputy Assistant to the President Rob Flaherty and Clark Humphrey, director of digital for the White House COVID-19 Response Team, Twitter told the White House to step up its censorship of information it deems misleading. I promised.
Flaherty has repeatedly criticized social media practitioners, even accusing Facebook of causing “political violence” for not sufficiently censoring speech about the coronavirus. Emails we uncovered even revealed weekly meetings between Biden’s White House officials and social media executives and employees to discuss censorship of COVID-19 “misinformation,” including Face Included was one in which book officials suggested a “monthly debunking meeting” with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .
The emails also show several examples of how Facebook officials won’t proceed with censoring claims about COVID-19 until they get input from the Biden administration’s “debunking team.” There are many other examples of the unfathomable and inexcusable coercion the federal government has used to achieve its goal of silencing dissent and advancing its cause, and that everyday Americans are criticized for their power and control. It was collateral for pursuit.
Don’t get me wrong. This was a massive censorship operation reaching the highest levels of government to carry out an unprecedented attack on the freedom of speech of Americans.
In the judge’s ruling, the court noted that the censorship enterprise “draws an almost dystopian scenario” and that the federal government “seems to play a role similar to Orwell’s Ministry of Truth.” It is.” Government officials pressured social media companies to remove protected speech, while government officials pressured platforms to change policies to further censor speech.
The court also found on at least 22 occasions that “White House defendants engaged in coercion to induce social media companies to suppress free speech,” and that the vast majority of the suppressed speech was conservative. It pointed out. The term “coercion” is of paramount importance here, and for our claim to be an infringement of free speech to be accepted as true, “grave encouragement and coercion” must be proven, and we has proved it. The federal government cannot censor speech, nor can it outsource that censorship.
The interim injunction prohibits the federal government from colluding further with social media companies to silence citizens from speaking. But the battle doesn’t end there.
Congress needs to pass my opinion Curb online restrictions that lead to unconstitutional democracy-eroding laws Also known as the Conspiracy Act, the law is meant to ensure that such attacks on free speech never happen again. The bill provides a solution to prevent similar censorship practices between big tech companies and the federal government by stripping them of coveted Section 230 protections. will do. (Related: David Bothey: Anti-censorship ruling cuts Biden administration size)
Congress also needs to play a strong oversight role to ensure compliance with court rulings.
In addition, I advocate for more legislation to combat online censorship and ensure that this never happens again, including by holding individual government officials directly accountable for their efforts to censor speech. We plan to introduce it.
I will lead the legal battle to expose this censorship business, and I will lead the battle in the Senate to prevent further trampling of Americans’ constitutional rights.
Eric Schmidt is a junior senator from Missouri who previously served as the state’s attorney general.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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