Adriana Cohen: Techno-fascism strikes again — Congress must fight Big Tech’s suppression of free speech
Congress must pass a law that forbids any American company from censoring the president, any elected official or any head of a government agency
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Whoever controls the information we see or don't see controls the universe — and must be reined in without delay.
We're talking about Big Tech's ever-expanding ability to shape and control public opinion on any topic it desires — including U.S. elections — by censoring conservatives' tweets and posts while amplifying liberal voices and news stories favorable to Democratic candidates.
We're living in an era of techno-fascism, where ultra-powerful liberal elites at Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and other digital platforms are acting as modern-day book burners, using algorithms, content monitors and other opaque methods to control what millions of Americans read and view online.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LARA LOGAN: BIG TECH SHOWED ITS 'TRUE COLORS' WITH SUPPORT FOR JOE BIDEN
Like state-run media used by totalitarian regimes to control the masses — and rig elections — Big Tech is deciding what news articles we're allowed to see or not see. Same with videos, GIFs, images and other online content.
This includes the suppression of President Trump's tweets, conservative lawmakers and other heads of government agencies. This is a threat to national security.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More from Opinion
What if America were under an attack like 9/11? Or if a foreign enemy were to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile toward our shores? Would you want to give unelected central planners in Silicon Valley the almighty power to decide whether our commander in chief would be permitted to alert the American people on their networks?
This is one of the many reasons censorship is no trivial matter.
The ongoing failure of Congress to contain Big Tech censorship not only violates our rights to free speech and a free press; it also puts the American people in harm's way.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}How is this allowed in the Land of the Free, the strongest nation on Earth?
As a matter of national security, Congress must pass a law that forbids any American company from censoring the president, any elected official or any head of a government agency.
Until then, it's high time Congress took meaningful action to address Silicon Valley's out-of-control suppression of speech, which is getting worse by the day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Recently YouTube — owned by Google — announced it is removing from its platform all content involving allegations of voter fraud in this year’s presidential election. It is brazenly censoring any information, true or not, that casts doubt on President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
YouTube claims its new policy is an effort to blunt the spread of disinformation. That's hypocritical and downright disingenuous, given that this platform and others have given Democrats and their media allies a blank check to peddle the Russia-collusion hoax against President Trump and his administration for the past four years.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR OPINION NEWSLETTER
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Worse, YouTube still permits videos on its network that spread disinformation about that Trump-Russia conspiracy theory despite it having been debunked by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
This continued evidence of political bias against conservatives is prompting lawmakers to finally hold Big Tech accountable.
"Big Tech companies have stretched their liability shield past its limits, and the national discourse now suffers because of it," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told me via a statement. "Today's internet is a different online product from what was available in 1996; the polished mega-platforms we associate with online research and debate exert unprecedented influence over how Americans discover new information, and what information is available for discovery."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Blackburn added: "Moreover, the contentious nature of current conversations provides perverse incentive for these companies to manipulate the online experience in favor of the loudest voices in the room. There exists no meaningful alternative to these powerful platforms, which means there will be no accountability for the devastating effects of this ingrained ideological bias until Congress steps in and brings liability protections into the modern era."
That can't come a moment too soon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}