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Justice to convene meeting on whether social media companies are stifling free speech
Hill ^ | 9-5-2018 | Morgan Chalfant and Harper Neidig

Posted on 09/05/2018 11:31:40 AM PDT by tcrlaf

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

has scheduled a meeting with state attorneys general in September to discuss a “growing concern” that tech companies may be “intentionally stifling” the free flow of ideas on their platforms.

In a statement issued right after executives from Facebook and Twitter finished testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Justice also suggested that the platforms were running afoul of antitrust laws.

“The Attorney General has convened a meeting with a number of state attorneys general this month to discuss a growing concern that these companies may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms,” DOJ spokesman Devin O’Malley said in a statement issued near the end of a congressional hearing where top executives from Facebook and Twitter were testifying

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


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antitrust; censorship; doj; internet; internetcensorship; omg; sessions; socialmedia
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Full Title: Justice to convene meeting on whether social media companies are 'intentionally stifling' free speech

Just like his idol, Teddy Roosevelt, it looks like Trump is going after the Big Media Trusts!!!

Trust Buster Trump! I like that...

1 posted on 09/05/2018 11:31:40 AM PDT by tcrlaf
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To: tcrlaf

2 posted on 09/05/2018 11:33:44 AM PDT by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf

Notice the DOJ goes to talk with Lawyers.
In 30 min I could give him the names of probably 100 engineers who have been silenced with threat of termination for even saying they voted for Trump.

Go back to sleep, Sessions.
You are WAY out of your league.


3 posted on 09/05/2018 11:35:07 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: tcrlaf

A baker can be required to bake for perverts, in violation of the baker’s religious beliefs and positive values. Logically, that means that a group of petty tyrants can also be required to provide a public accommodation for decent people in violation of their complete absence of religious beliefs and positive values.


4 posted on 09/05/2018 11:42:09 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: tcrlaf

It would be so much easier if these big tech social media companies would just allow both sides of a political debate to be heard on a public square type of platform and just have TOS standards for everyone regardless of politics like no porn or no threats etc.

They don’t have to hire people that they feel doesn’t fit their company’s mission.


5 posted on 09/05/2018 11:46:30 AM PDT by snarkytart
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To: tcrlaf
Just like his idol, Teddy Roosevelt, it looks like Trump is going after the Big Media Trusts!!!

There is a major difference between now and then.

Now, the Big Trust companies are crony companies conspiring with Big Government.

6 posted on 09/05/2018 11:47:03 AM PDT by FreeReign (Rudy: Sessions is recused from everything)
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To: tcrlaf

I’m a little on the fence here. The 1st amendment is to protect against the government inhibiting your free speech. Not fellow citizens inhibiting fellow citizens speech. Twitter, facebook, whomever are not the government, you sign a terms of agreement and abide by them. You don’t, you either find a new game or make your own (private) platform.

If twitter (or whoever) want to become a liberal echo chamber, they can do that and suffer the consequences of stock price, exiting consumers, lower market share. Call it a bad business decision, but that is theirs to make. From their demise something new and better may arise.

(My flamesuit is on.)


7 posted on 09/05/2018 11:54:24 AM PDT by BBQToadRibs
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To: tcrlaf

You should be able to type FIRE! in a crowded chatroom.


8 posted on 09/05/2018 11:55:48 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper (alea iacta est)
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To: tcrlaf

I think first they need to define and what point does social media become a public forum with an expectation of free speech and not a private service.

What’s the difference between facebook, twitter, and FreeRepublic?

Freerepublic states up front that it is a conservative discussion site. Specifically...”Free Republic is a site dedicated to the concerns of traditional grassroots conservative activists. We’re here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We’re not here to debate liberals. We do not want our pages filled with their arrogant, obnoxious, repugnant bile. Liberals, usurpers, and other assorted malcontents are considered unwelcome trolls on FR and their accounts and or posts will be summarily dismissed at the convenience of the site administrators.”

Facebook and twitter, don’t openly promote an agenda, but evidence is that they secretly promote an agenda.


9 posted on 09/05/2018 11:57:01 AM PDT by DannyTN (uit)
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To: Pollster1

An interesting line of thinking how the ruling against the baker, photographers, and others vs what social media is doing. Their refusal is discrimination. We just need to place a protected class on it. Race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Since our political, moral, and ethical views are derived as ‘God-given’, then all things are religious. Ergo, social media is practicing religious discrimination and intolerance.


10 posted on 09/05/2018 11:57:29 AM PDT by Reno89519 (No Amnesty! No Catch-and-Release! Just Say No to All Illegal Aliens! Arrest & Deport!y)
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To: tcrlaf
He's on the job! Image Gallery windows 98 computer
11 posted on 09/05/2018 12:03:15 PM PDT by Leep
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To: BBQToadRibs

At some point, these platforms, especially Google and to a certain extent Twitter, have crossed the line from private service to Public Utility. Like everything else in the technology age, this will have to addressed.


12 posted on 09/05/2018 12:13:42 PM PDT by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf

It’s more than just the social media. It’s the MSM too. They’re no longer even pretending to be unbiased. Their licenses should be revoked and they need to be removed from the air. If they want to continue with a YouTube channel, no problem. Same with the university charters for academia. They’re also no longer even pretending to be unbiased. No more federal grant money or tuition money. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.


13 posted on 09/05/2018 12:13:59 PM PDT by afsnco (18 of 20 in AF JAG)
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To: BBQToadRibs

True, except they exist on the internet bought and paid for by the taxpayers.


14 posted on 09/05/2018 12:17:41 PM PDT by Adder (Mr. Franklin: We are trying to get the Republic back!)
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To: Zathras

In 30 min I could give him the names of probably 100 engineers who have been silenced with threat of termination for even saying they voted for Trump.

><M

Well do it then. Go to your state AG. You talk big. Let us know the results.


15 posted on 09/05/2018 12:27:48 PM PDT by laplata (Leftists/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: tcrlaf
Justice to convene meeting on whether social media companies are stifling free speech

Good. If freedom of speech is not forced to be applied to all private communications companies, it will not long survive in this nation.

16 posted on 09/05/2018 12:34:49 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: FreeReign; BroJoeK
Now, the Big Trust companies are crony companies conspiring with Big Government.

They were doing that before Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the first one to stop tolerating this behind the scenes "deep state" collusion between private corporations and Government.

17 posted on 09/05/2018 12:36:53 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: BBQToadRibs
Not fellow citizens inhibiting fellow citizens speech. Twitter, facebook, whomever are not the government, you sign a terms of agreement and abide by them.

And how can you tell when this is actually the decision of "private" mega corporations, and not caused by pressure from the government?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3680451/posts

The way this is going to work is a piece of sh*t like "Barack Obama" will say, "Twitter. If you don't shut off conservatives, I'm going to order a massive federal audit of your corporation. "

Corrupt Thug Barack Obama says to Google. "Google. If you do not eradicate conservative speech on your platform, I am going to order the Justice department to hit you with massive fraud and anti-trust violations, or any other charge we can make up against you. "

So allowing "private" corporations to regulate American Public communications, can and will result in GOVERNMENT prohibiting speech.

18 posted on 09/05/2018 12:42:17 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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To: BBQToadRibs
(My flamesuit is on.)

You need it. What you don't seem to realize is they are a true fifth column and we are their enemy. You should not be able to open a business with government protections, for the express purpose of destroying that government.

In simpler times that would be called Treason.

19 posted on 09/05/2018 12:42:53 PM PDT by itsahoot (Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
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To: DannyTN
What’s the difference between facebook, twitter, and FreeRepublic?

Size and influence.

Let me ask you this. Why does any of these mega-corporations want to censor speech? Is it because that speech might influence the public, and therefore influence elections?

It's a struggle over the power to elect people to support your agenda. That's what it is about.

20 posted on 09/05/2018 12:44:34 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
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