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Did The FBI Violate The First Amendment When It Colluded With Twitter?
DAILYCALLER.COM ^ | 12/23/2022 | ALEXA SCHWERHA

Posted on 12/24/2022 9:57:38 AM PST by bitt

The FBI may have violated the First Amendment rights of Twitter users when it flagged accounts for the social media platform to review, several legal experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Twitter became an “agent of the government” when it worked with the FBI to silence specific accounts at the agency’s request, Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow, told the DCNF.

Ari Cohn, free speech counsel at TechFreedom, told the DCNF that while the findings of the Twitter Files were “interesting,” he doesn’t believe there are “many legal conclusions to draw from it.”

~~~~~~~

The FBI has repeatedly flagged Twitter accounts for the social media platform to review and censor over the last few years, raising questions as to whether the agency violated the First Amendment rights of Twitter users, legal experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Twitter Files, a series of revelations by several journalists based on internal Twitter communications, revealed that FBI agents colluded with Twitter executives to censor users and suppress information, while the agency paid Twitter $3.5 million to compensate them for their time processing the FBI’s requests. This partnership raises questions as to whether the FBI may have violated user’s constitutional rights, legal experts told the DCNF, with some arguing the agency’s involvement in Twitter censorship constitutes a First Amendment violation. (RELATED: ‘Attempting To Discredit The Agency’: FBI Responds To ‘Twitter Files’)

Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told the DCNF that users deserve to know the extent of how the government communicated with Twitter and that it could raise possible “First Amendment issues, although it could be tricky to prove.”

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bigtech; censorship; civilliberties; civilrights; dhs; fbi; fbiakastasi; firstamendment; freespeech; privacy; socialmedia; surveillance; technotyranny; twitter; yes
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To: for-q-clinton

Flynn was going to make changes inside the intel community and he knew a lot about what worked and what did not. He also had people he liked and people he did not from working within that tight circle for years. They could not have that, so they framed him on a bunch of BS and levied a false charge against him and nobody batted an eye.

It was Scooter Libby on steroids.

Trump did not stand by him and as I understand it Priebus and Pence recommended they ask for his resignation. A purely political move that gave the deep state a lot of confidence. They did the same kind of scam against Trump over his phone call to the Ukraine a few years later.

Flynn was replaced by someone more “palatable” to the intel community. Trump endured another impeachment. This is what our “intel community” does now and the FBI is one of the major players.

It is shameful.

The government is forbidden from violating personal rights guaranteed by the constitution either directly OR by proxy. They coaxed or coerced a willing Twitter to act as their agent.

I don’t know if this is criminal, but I think there are some very good civil cases by persons banned or targeted by the FBI. This BS about “we just notified them about violations of their terms of service” is not going to fly. Did you see any communications with Twitter by the FBI about child porn? Me either. The only ones I saw were political in nature and many were clearly satire.


21 posted on 12/24/2022 10:17:31 AM PST by volunbeer (Find the truth and accept it - anything else is delusional)
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To: bitt

That’s an idiotic question.

“They” are the FBI. They are the enforcement branch of the Justice Department.

“They” will TELL you when, what and where the First Amendment applies. Otherwise just STFU and enjoy yourself unless you’re going to do something about it.

Like vote, insure the vote is secure, peacefully use the power you have in order to not comply with the FBI/swamp Nazis and the rest of the RINO bureaucrats.

Otherwise be a fish in a sea of fish. The swamp only needs your tax money, occasionally your blood or that of your sons and they don’t want or need your opinions or “thought” and “prayers”.

Nothing will happen to the agents, bureaucrats, NGOs, liberal brown shirts (Antifa, BLM, LGBTQ)or any other grifter and power hungry tech “genius” or their employees for taking away our privacy, property, civil rights or lives...... they are better, smarter and of more value than you or your family.

You are just a cog in the machine and the replacement parts are streaming across the border pal. So, like I said, “what are you gonna do?”..... Go to the rifle range, drink beer with some fellas and form a militia, sign an “oath”, protest “peacefully”, just what exactly are folks to do?

Think about it. The answer will come to you. Educate your family, educate yourself and pray.


22 posted on 12/24/2022 10:18:06 AM PST by Dick Vomer (2 Timothy 4:7 deo duce ferro comitantes)
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To: bitt

It is against the law (The Hatch Act) for a government employee to influence others in an election.


23 posted on 12/24/2022 10:19:03 AM PST by aimhigh (THIS is His commandment . . . . 1 John 3:23)
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To: Dutch Boy
Even if people did care, nothing would be done about it.

Depends how MUCH they care.

Liberty and freedom vs. dependency and oppression..

Depends on how many are willing to declare, "Give me liberty or give me death." Then we might see a change.

24 posted on 12/24/2022 10:19:08 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: bitt
Colluded With Twitter? If some in Twitter didn't 'go along to get along' they we re probably fired by the 'intelligence cabal'.

That's not collusion - it's intimidation. You're either 'with us' or you can't afford to support your family.

If the thugs and goons of the FBI and CIA think American taxpayers are supporting them so they can bully the half of Amerasian who have different political believes they must think they live in the old USSR or current Cube, Iran or North Korea.

Hey you bullies and thugs in 'intelligence' - FBI and CIA =- how do you justify KEEPING YOUR ACTIONS SECRET?

WHEN YOU PUT YOUR filthy thumbs on the scale against half the American people what's your sicko excuse? Do you tell yourself that YOU get up earlier? Wear more expensive clothes? Eat at the 'right' places - think the 'right' thoughts?

What's your damn excuse for being thugs and goons in a free country?

What's your damn excuse thugs?

Crime is rampant, borders are being overrun and YOU human filth of the world - see your jobs as political minders? As old KGB thugs keeping things running for the benefit of State approved 'elites'?

25 posted on 12/24/2022 10:20:23 AM PST by GOPJ (Illegals coming idiopathic? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=LPjzfGChGlE) )
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To: Jim W N

I don’t see that critical mass building any time soon.


26 posted on 12/24/2022 10:23:00 AM PST by Dutch Boy (The only thing worse than having something taken from you is to have it returned broken. )
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To: bitt

No question yes they did.


27 posted on 12/24/2022 10:24:17 AM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Jim Noble

I like to be selective about which enemies I hate the most.


28 posted on 12/24/2022 10:32:05 AM PST by Louis Foxwell (We are not fit to live free but must be enslaved to control the chaos of our unfettered appetites.)
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To: BenLurkin

Yes.

Direct comms fr FBI and DHS directing twitter mods to specific accounts that needed to be censored have been released. If I was on that list, I would’ve already retained counsel. This is as egregious a civil rights violation as come down the pike since at least Kent St.


29 posted on 12/24/2022 10:38:21 AM PST by Freest Republican (This space for rent)
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To: bitt

Here it is..
I know they did...
You know they did...
They know they did....
The judges know they did..

Question is, what is the remedy?


30 posted on 12/24/2022 10:38:26 AM PST by joe fonebone (And the people said NO! The End)
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To: bitt

The FBI has abused many defenseless citizens for a long time.


31 posted on 12/24/2022 10:42:25 AM PST by chopperk
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To: bitt

A better question is: Did the FBI violate the First Amendment when it had a ‘Partner Portal’ and directly took down tweets without advising Twitter to do it?
Again, some of the tweets Twitter did not even view or were not advised to take down — the FBI did it directly without their knowledge.


32 posted on 12/24/2022 10:47:35 AM PST by JCM
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To: bitt

Yes


33 posted on 12/24/2022 10:53:19 AM PST by taxcontrol (The choice is clear - either live as a slave on your knees or die as a free citizen on your feet.)
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To: bitt

When you collude with social media sites, pay them with taxpayer dollars, so they will censure taxpayers who are also paying your salary, while you violate their right to free speech, I’d say the FBI is violating more than just the First Amendment.


34 posted on 12/24/2022 10:57:40 AM PST by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne )
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To: Louis Foxwell

American needs a good routing and a purge. First we need a president and backing that will not only say but do to a final satisfying solution


35 posted on 12/24/2022 10:58:55 AM PST by ronnie raygun
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To: Dutch Boy
I don’t see that critical mass building any time soon.

The English didn't see it coming in 1776 either.

From whence comes the critical mass needed to defeat these traitors and rogue government?

From the same faith of our Fathers from whence came the fight to the death for freedom. Liberty and freedom starts and ends with faith in the God of the Bible.

When enough hearts turn from trusting in man and his outlaw government to trusting in the Lord, then things may and most likely will happen.

36 posted on 12/24/2022 11:00:20 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: bitt

Of course they did. So what?


37 posted on 12/24/2022 11:05:20 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
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To: bitt

The FBI is an Executive Branch bureaucracy.

The argument per the headline is a false premise and will fail if they pursue that line in litigation.

Obviously the only real recourse here is impeachment of the responsible party, and we all know that will either not happen or lead to something much, much worse.

Thus, the real traitors are not the FBI, nor the Biden administration.

After what they did to Trump we all know the truth: The real traitors are the GOP and those pulling their strings.


38 posted on 12/24/2022 11:05:52 AM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: mass55th

I could not agree more.

The FBI and DHS directed twitter to ban cons and laid the framework to ban President Trump-while he was in office!
Isn’t that called treason?


39 posted on 12/24/2022 11:16:34 AM PST by Freest Republican (This space for rent)
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To: bitt
Not sure it's a 1st amendment violation, but isn't the FBI supposed to be federal law enforcement? Not general purpose political operatives.

This is straight up spying on people who are not criminal suspects.

40 posted on 12/24/2022 11:57:30 AM PST by Salman (It's not a slippery slope if it was part of the program all along. )
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