Disinformation and Free Speech
Kerby Anderson
On Independence Day, Federal Judge Terry Doughty issued a national injunction preventing federal bureaucracies from corresponding with social-media firms. It sent shock waves through the Biden administration and Silicon Valley. James Bovard asked, “When did the Biden administration become infallible with a divine right to nullify the free speech of conservatives?”
The federal judge described the evidence he saw as “the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history.” He argued that the Biden administration pressured social-media companies “to censor misinformation regarding climate change, gender discussions, abortion, and economic policy.”
Censorship began at the very start of the Biden era. Less than two weeks after the inauguration, the White House Digital Director demanded that Twitter “immediately” remove a parody of Biden’s relatives. “Twitter officials suspended the account within 45 minutes but complained they were already bombarded by White House censorship requests at that point.”
A federal agency, tasked with countering foreign influence, was renamed the Mis-, Dis-, and Mal-information task force. It led the way in shutting down any discussion about concerns about the 2020 and 2022 elections.
The FBI convinced companies to change their policies and ban posts based on “hacked materials.” Then it became easy to censor any comments about Hunter Biden’s laptop arguing it was hacked material or else Russian disinformation.
The federal judge imposed a sweeping injunction banning federal agencies from contacting social-media companies. Considering all this evidence, it is easy to see why he did this.
Listen to this Viewpoint
Viewpoints
View All
Place For Prayer
Some people might wonder why we need a law that protects the right of houses of worship to use their facilities for religious purposes. But we do. And we have one: RLUIPA, the Religious Land Use and I...
AI’s Boom and Doom
Perhaps you have noticed AI’s boom and doom. One minute, investors were talking about the wonderful benefits of artificial intelligence and encouraging potential investors to throw their money at AI d...
Social Security
Most federal reports are unfortunately greeted with a yawn. But the report from the trustees who oversee Social Security deserved more attention than it received.
Take Action
View All
Protect Privacy Against Flock Cameras
Flock cameras are everywhere. While one camera is a tool, the more than 100,000 AI-powered cameras now posted around our nation are a new layer of dig...
Support the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act
The abortion pill harms women and kills unborn children. Congress must act.