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HUGE! Trump White House Implements Executive Order on Online Censorship: Prevents Tech Giants from Altering Users’ Free Speech
thegatewaypundit.com ^ | 7/29/20 | Jim Hoft

Posted on 07/29/2020 5:09:01 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda

HUGE! Trump White House Implements Executive Order on Online Censorship: Prevents Tech Giants from Altering Users’ Free Speech – Demands Transparency of Moderation Practices

This Is Big!

On Wednesday Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook testified before Congress in the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust.

Since 2016 and the election of Donald Trump the tech giants have been censoring and banning conservative voices online. The Gateway Pundit has been a huge target of these liberal tech giants.

Of course, the CEOs dismissed allegations that they are targeting and censoring conservative users despite ALL of the evidence to the contrary.

(Excerpt) Read more at thegatewaypundit.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: facebook; fcc; freedomofspeech; instagram; section230; socialmedia; tech; trump; trumpwinsagain; twitter; youtube
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To: malach
-- OK but how are they going to enforce it? --

Did you read the May 28 EO? Read that.

I think the planned enforcement is a three step process. EO, Agency rulemaking, court action seeking a court order, details of which will be designed to get the content regulator to comply with the rule.

There may be fines, but I don't think those would be effective.

A good part of all this is to raise public awareness that the sources of informtion are filtered agitprop and unreliable. Some Americans like freedom of the press. Ironically, the press does not ;-)

41 posted on 07/29/2020 6:03:02 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: who knows what evil?

Yep, that’s why I didn’t leave any comment after posting this article. I’ll believe it when I see it. Freakin 4 years and these enemies of the USA and freedom so far are batting 1000, anyone even remotely connected to Trump from the paper boy on up gets locked up for even sneezing the wrong way, meanwhile Barr and Trump can’t even hand out a parking ticket for AN ATTEMPTED COUP


42 posted on 07/29/2020 6:06:18 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary Clinton remains free equal justice under the law will never exist in the USA)
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To: Leaning Right

You’re new to this subject?

The ‘muh company’ ship sailed long ago.

Section 230 provides that one can either be a platform, which is an e-kiosk where only the lightest control is permitted (explicitly illegal acts, many of which by the way pass unscathed through the big social media platforms); or one can be a publisher, which allows control as one wishes but also liability for content.

This is only natural; if there’s an ad stapled to a telephone pole, it’s not AT&T’s fault if the lawn service advertised thereon is lousy or the religious study group is fake.

Likewise if you’re CNN or Breitbart, if you publish an article full of libel, you can (will) get sued.

Both can apply: If I take my Azure-hosted blog and advertise something illegal, I can get in trouble for it (publisher) but it’s not Microsoft’s fault for renting me a server.

None of this is at all at odds with private enterprise; nobody can be on both sides of the law at once.

These guys long ago became publishers and claim they’re not; they censor and ban us, doctors, even the President, and let riot organizers go and grossly illegal content too.

They’re absolutely “the government” in that they and the Dems collude if not conspire, and both do the will of China; and every time someone *defends* them on the grounds that they’re somehow free (ha) enterprise Xi is grinning.

No, the appropriate law to exercise, if we’re going to hold them accountable rather than force them open, would be criminal suits for every drug buy, illicit sale, underage picture, call for violence or insurrection or riot, and civil lawsuits for everyone who’s been banned, shadowbanned, or otherwise restricted where the cause wasn’t crystal clear and enforced strictly according to the terms of service absolutely equally to all.


43 posted on 07/29/2020 6:10:45 PM PDT by No.6
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To: Leaning Right

If the RATS ever have the chance they’d do it and wouldn’t care what anyone thought. Some black robe would back them up.


44 posted on 07/29/2020 6:18:50 PM PDT by abbastanza
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To: No.6

Thanks for the info. And now a few questions. If you’re a platform, are you saying that you cannot control content on your own site (except for explicitly illegal things)?

And what happens if you tried? Would that make you a publisher?


45 posted on 07/29/2020 6:19:19 PM PDT by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: Leaning Right

Some folks never miss an opportunity to be a jerk.


46 posted on 07/29/2020 6:23:23 PM PDT by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
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To: BenLurkin
" Can someone please explain how any President could have this kind of authority, legitimately?"

IMHO, the former Constitution said something about freedom of speech and the President swore to uphold that Constitution...

Does the Constitution specify as to how free speech should be protected? Don't think so...

47 posted on 07/29/2020 6:25:49 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is Sam Adams now that we desperately need him)
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To: BenLurkin

The way I read it, the EO simply clarified existing law.


48 posted on 07/29/2020 6:27:30 PM PDT by wjcsux (Cast your vote like itÂ’s 6 November 1860.)
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To: SuperLuminal

I’m not sure that’s what the Founders had in mind.


49 posted on 07/29/2020 6:32:09 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

If the electric utilities started to cut off power to conservative customers only, that would be a problem. It’s somewhat similar when giant information monopolies cut off free speech and limit the flow of information from conservative customers.


50 posted on 07/29/2020 6:40:24 PM PDT by rfp1234 (Caveat Emperor)
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To: Henry Hnyellar

“Your comparison is stupid and uninformed.”

Rude.


51 posted on 07/29/2020 6:43:36 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

This is for show. It actually accomplishes nothing. Big tech can ignore it with impunity. There is no force of law.


52 posted on 07/29/2020 6:51:22 PM PDT by Revel
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

I love the spirit within Trump, but I just realized - the Presidential EO has replaced congress. But I also realize, it’s congresses fault for not dealing with problems the way they should. Now the law goes EO- Courts - Law. Instead of Congress - Courts - Law.


53 posted on 07/29/2020 6:51:48 PM PDT by Greenpees (Coulda Shoulda Woulda)
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Comment #54 Removed by Moderator

To: Leaning Right

Would you believe the raw text of Section 230 is on p.3 of a Bing search? The first two pages are articles ‘explaining’ what one ought to think about it. P.1 on DuckDuckGo, which is kinda the point of all this; even a simple search is skewed to produce results supporting the C-suite’s desired thoughts.

Here’s a link. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230
another.
http://www.columbia.edu/~mr2651/ecommerce3/2nd/statutes/CommunicationsDecencyAct.pdf

Clearly, and in any article not published in the Age of Cancel, this section is intended to promote free discussion by inhibiting liability to services.

The abuse lies in that companies aligned with DNC and PRC to quash free speech have gone ahead to do so one-sidedly offering only the barest fig leaf of “otherwise objectionable” to ban anything not aligned with the wokest insanity.


55 posted on 07/29/2020 6:59:09 PM PDT by No.6
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To: Greenpees

That is the issue. The tech companies are NOT in compliance with the law. They can either “curate content” and be legally responsible for the content...and be considered an editor. Very minor exceptions for actual threats or slander, but not carte blanche. Or they can be a conduit for a forum and be considered like a publisher where the content is the responsibility of the author.

If they are sued for editing content, they would be open to revealing WHY they edited content, to include malice and negligence. IIRC the law is already there...but they give tons literally) of money to the politicians, so they claim the exemption without a whimper from the politicians.

DK


56 posted on 07/29/2020 7:02:52 PM PDT by Dark Knight
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To: Revel
Telecommunication 47USC202(a) of the US Code still is in play and the reason why phone companies could not cut off service for individuals LARPing, uttering unpopular speech to whoever you were talking with on the other line, gossip, and other slander (Person-to-person or conference calls to a room full of people). The war right now is if SM are platforms, publishers, or distributors. Either way the FCC owns each of their "asses" through the Necessary and Proper Clause combined with numerous ways to open up the floodgates for these providers to be sued beyond oblivion for shadowbanning and other discriminatory practices that violates "good faith" clauses in 47USC230 and of course 47USC202(a).

So either these outlets become platforms or if they wish, become editors/publishers and become open for libel. The days of enjoying "both" are hopefully ending soon.
57 posted on 07/29/2020 7:18:52 PM PDT by rollo tomasi
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To: malach

No matter what is done, it will be slow and bureaucratic.

Matt Gaetz speaking on Hannity had a good point, Congress won’t do anything, Congress is bought off by the tech giants.

Cases are not the sort that gets a jury - but I hear you, the judges are no good anyway.

Right on the money with your last point. The narrative machine has always been and will always be inherently dishonest. Not sure how to get people to abandon healthy distrust. As critters, people really are sheep or lemming-like.


58 posted on 07/29/2020 7:22:15 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Leaning Right

“Google is a private company.”

No. It. Isn’t.

I don’t know why FReepers keep repeating this falsehood.

Google is a PUBLIC company. Big difference.

A publicly traded company (i.e. offers shares for sale to the public) cannot, under federal law, contribute to, or try to influence, federal elections:

https://transition.fec.gov/pages/brochures/fecfeca.shtml#Contribution_Limits

This is regulated under 52 U.S. Code 30118.

Here are more specific details and definitions...

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/30118

Note the definitions of “contributions” and “expenditures”. For this section and section 79l(h) of title 15, these include “any services, or anything of value”.

These social media companies are engaging in organized crime, criminal racketeering, criminal fraud, and money laundering. Allowing employees to use their company-paid time to engage in federal election activities is criminal. Management who knowingly permit this should be criminally charged. Using these resources illegally also means the CEO and other executives are willfully neglecting their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders and knowingly putting these investments at risk. They should go to prison for a long time.

NONE of these things apply to a privately held company such as Free Republic.


59 posted on 07/29/2020 7:26:26 PM PDT by unlearner (Be ready for war.)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

On Monday, the Department of Commerce, as directed by President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship, filed a petition to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The petition requests that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarify that Section 230 does not permit social media companies that alter or editorialize users’ speech to escape civil liability.

I have one improvement: make it retroactive to 2015


60 posted on 07/29/2020 7:27:16 PM PDT by Steven Tyler
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