Never before in U.S. history have Americans been less free to see and say what they want. The blame goes mostly to the social media giants like Facebook, YouTube and Google that censor political views they don’t like.
But the tech giants’ day of reckoning is near. Justice Clarence Thomas is taking them on.
Phone companies like AT&T or Sprint can’t shut down your account because of your political views. American Airlines can’t refuse to sell you a ticket because you’ve questioned climate change or COVID lockdowns. The law forbids it.
That same ban against political discrimination should apply to social media platforms. Thomas has argued against Big Tech censorship since at least 2021, saying these companies should have to serve all customers, just like phone companies, utilities and public accommodations.
On Sept. 29, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will rule on state laws enacted by Florida and Texas that prohibit tech giants from canceling users based on their political views. Expect Thomas to lead a majority of the justices to conclude that internet censorship is inconsistent with democracy and must be stopped.
A high court ruling against censorship will deal a powerful blow against Big Tech tyranny. Not a day too soon. Hallelujah.
Right now, social media platforms freely censor, taking down posts and deplatforming users whose views they don’t like — even a former president of the United States — and burying information so it’s impossible to find with a Google search.
Big Tech censorship impacts far more people than when colleges silence dissent or even when workplaces and schools indoctrinate.
Texas’s anti-censorship law is designed to protect the public against this loss of freedom. The law still allows removal of items that are pornographic, threaten violence or promote the sexual exploitation of children — what’s truly harmful.
To defend Texas’ law, the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, specifically cited Thomas’ argument.
The law was upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, deciding that corporations do not have a “right to muzzle speech.”
But a similar Florida law was struck down by the 11th Circuit, arguing that Big Tech platforms have a First Amendment right to pick and choose views like a newspaper does.
Now the Supreme Court is poised to resolve those conflicting outcomes. The court will decide who is protected by the First Amendment — the tech companies that claim they’re like newspapers, or the millions of social media users.
The smart money is on Thomas persuading a majority of the justices that democracy requires an uncensored internet.
In a 2021 concurring opinion, Thomas suggested a role for Congress to provide a legislative fix, including changing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. But Congress is unlikely to act, as long as Democrats control either house.
Most Democrats in Congress are rooting for more censorship. They’ve become the anti-free speech party. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told tech executives during a 2020 Senate hearing that he wants them to censor “climate denialism.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) urged them to do more “content modification” and eliminate “disinformation” in future elections.
When Blumenthal says “content modification,” it’s a euphemism for silencing the opposition — in short, rigging elections.
“Disinformation.” Don’t be fooled by that word. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes explained that the way to test the truth of any statement is to see if it survives in the marketplace of ideas. Truth will prevail.
Lousy ideas, falsehoods and loser politicians like President Joe Biden need censorship to survive.
At the Supreme Court, Biden’s Department of Justice is siding with Big Tech against the public’s right to free expression.
That’s no surprise. Biden likely owes his 2020 election to Big Tech’s rush to squash the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop reporting.
Since taking office, Joe Biden has erected a vast censorship operation, with the White House, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other government agencies colluding with Big Tech to limit what you can see and say. Bravo that Elon Musk’s company X, formerly Twitter, refuses.
The next move belongs to the Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments and rule early in 2024.
Count on Thomas’ anti-censorship views to prevail. Americans will be freer as a result.
Thank you, Justice Thomas.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website.
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I stand with Justice Thomas.
Big Tech has become nothing but Communist China propaganda companies with Dictator Beijing biden and his Corrupt Communist Party at the helm.
Social media is a JOKE. It has done nothing but divide the country and destroy Free Speech for FASCISM.
WAKE UP AMERICA!
You are being brainwashed by Google, Fascistbook, TikTok, and YouTube. Each one of them bows down to Communist China.
You are WASTING your money and FREEDOM by supporting and using Google, Fascistbook, TikTok, and YouTube.
You are better off talking to people face to face than being CONTROLLED by Big Tech since that is their objective is to completely CONTROL everything you do on the internet all with Dictator Beijing biden’s blessing.
Freedom of Speech is under attack by the Communist wannabe Democrats NOT by Conservatives so what does that tell you? These Communist wannabes will accuse Conservatives of “denying” Freedom of Speech because it’s a Communist tactic to accuse your opposition of exactly what they themselves are guilty of. Want to bet that that’s exactly what will happen?
Who knew that I could foretell the future?
The difference between newspapers and Big Tech is that newspapers have limited space. To publish something costs them money, so they get to choose what to publish, they don’t get to sell more ads just because they publish more opinion pieces. They also bear responsibility for what they publish, they can be sued.
Big Tech has an exemption from the liabilities of being a publisher, yet they want to control what is published while not facing the liability that normally comes along with those choices. They are trying to have it both ways and the Supreme Court should call them on it — either be a publisher with liabilities (like newspapers) or be a content agnostic carrier (like telephone companies), but you can’t pick and choose some of one and some of the other.
Big Tech also *makes* money off of your content by selling ads to be accompanied by your content. The more people use their site to “publish” stuff, the more ads they sell.
The comparison of Big Tech to newspapers falls flat on its face.
I am also for safe secure communities with increased funding for the police, the FBI, and the DOJ. Security professionals have tough jobs and should be thanked.
Free speech is the biggest threat to the tyrant
I was booted off Twitter in 2016 for posting a NY Times article entitled “Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Admid Uranium One Deal”. I was banned from commenting on YouTube for posting about Hunter Biden’s computer. Both times they called it “violating community standards”. Democrats need to control the narrative. They do this by labelling anything contrary to their opinion as “misinformation”. They have no qualms lying to do it. Take those 51 “intelligence specialists” who came out for Biden or Leslie Stahl during the Trump interview where she called Hunters computer “unsubstantiated” (and edited out this part when aired)! Newspapers print whatever they want under the First Amendment why not the internet? Let ppl post what they want… there is no law against being wrong….
There is only one reason to censor what someone else is saying: they are telling the truth and you are not. If you are telling the truth, there is no need to censor anyone. Censorship is a feature of a dictatorship and an authoritarian government, not a democracy or a republic.
Looser JoBamma, third team joBamma Not so Mafia Donn????
Because Justice Thomas fights for America’s freedom of speech and all other freedoms we are Constitutionally entitled to, Bidum’s DOJ has been attempting to silence Judge Thomas for some time. Just like they have done with Trump, if they can’t shut him up they want to jail him or throw him off the bench. Justice Thomas is the best Constitutional Judge on SCOTUS and he deserves our support to stop Bidum’s leftist, crooked DOJ attacks on all Conservative Americans.
The ruling hasn’t happened yet and never underestimate how incredibly tyrannical the Executive Office and their cronies in the lefties in Congress.
I wouldnt put it past these people to threaten the families and friends of Supreme Court Justices in order to force them to rule a particular way. Look at what happened when the hoardes of purple haired unshaven pit hosebags were entrenched outside the Justices homes with one armed with an intent to kill Antifa-tard getting caught outside one Justices home. What did the Justice Department do? Not a damned thing and the hoardes remain.
We are living in “end of empire’ days folks. Horrifying but interesting I suppose.
The larger problem as I see it is in the masses of gullible American voters who can not think things through. I’m guessing the average 18-25 year-old has been taught to hate America for so long that they can’t even spell the word ‘censorship’ much less explain what it means. That, and no one can legislate behaviors. Not against communism. Not against socialism. Not against censorship. Not against your worst enemy: self-serving politicians. It’s only a matter of time before ignorance completely shuts down what used to be The People’s House. Our Senate is already useless. The media (with the blessing of politicians) WILL find a way to manipulate voters with censorship so that only the idiot’s vote will matter. Plan accordingly.
“The smart money is on Thomas persuading a majority of the justices that democracy requires an uncensored internet.”
I sure hope so because I have been reading some very frightening things about what is going on in Canada and the European Union, where government censorship of any views or information they don’t like or agree with or which challenges the “official” narrative is becoming the rule of the day.
“Biden likely owes his 2020 election to Big Tech’s rush to squash the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop reporting”. In my opinion Biden owes his election to California style election fraud.
Do the Bust Up like Ma Bell was years ago
Unfortunately , majority of social media is complicit. !
I hope Ms. McCaughey is right. If so, it will be a BIG win for conservatives/patriots and believers in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I used to be republican but I’ve switched to democrat. I believe in capitalism and free markets, but I’m also pro choice, anti gun, and pro gay marriage. I’m also against banning books in schools. I favor the great McCain compromise for immigration. I favor a clean environment and incentives for renewable technologies. The military should not ban women, gays, or transgenders from any branch. I’m also a huge fan of free trade and am strongly anti tariffs. It’s also time the US moves to a national popular vote because voting should be one person, one vote. Voting should be made easier and should be available in person, my mail, or on the internet.